Stories of Ourselves
by Maresia Eterna
Summary: COMPLETE “You wanted to know what I asked your grandfather,” Shin started, and Kumiko stared at him, “Well, I guess it’s time for me to ask you the same question.” Kumiko started growing nervous when he paused, "Do you want to come to Africa with me?”
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot. Also, this is based on _Gokusen 2_, but characters from _Gokusen 1_ will be present in the story. So do not lose hope!

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**Information about this Fic:**

_**Title:**_ Stories of Ourselves

**Rating:** T

**Genres:** Drama, Romance, Friendship, Humour, Family, Angst,

**Warnings:** Language

_**Summary:**_Yamaguchi Kumiko never thought that returning a lost cell-phone to its rightful owner would lead her to memories of her past...

**Authoress' Note:** Okay, this is my first _Gokusen _story_._ I have absolutely no idea about what muse gave me the idea for this story, but I still hope you'll enjoy it. This story happens during _Gokusen II_, and there will be some scenes from the jdrama described in the story, but it won't go any further than that. In fact, it would be impossible to follow the story exactly as it happens in the drama. I also want to apologize for the errors you'll find; since **English** is my _**second**_ language, it's rather hard for me to correct all of the mistakes that I leave on every page before posting the new chapter.

**Important Note:** I made sure this fic was finished before I decided to post it. In fact, I completed this story about fifteen minutes ago, and I just _had_ to post this. I will try to update at least once a week.

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**Stories of Ourselves**

"_It's okay for my steps to continue, these hands have separated._

_Walking away from where you continue to live,_

_Until I become worn out I keep prolonging it_

_That time, that place, it will never disappear - this bond"_

**Kamenashi Kazuya** – Kizuna

_Prologue_

Without thinking twice, Yamaguchi Kumiko jumped to her bed, and moaned in delight when she felt the soft texture of her cover. She was exhausted; her students sure loved to get themselves in trouble. Thankfully there was always someone who could warn her about their actions, which usually resulted in her saving them from very complicated situations.

It was not that she minded helping them; every time she gave them a hand, Kumiko did it with all of her heart, but still she was human, and whoever said that kicking ass was not tiring was an idiot.

As she smiled to herself, Kumiko allowed herself to stretch in pure laziness and tiredness. She was feeling so drained that Kumiko knew she would probably end falling asleep if she did not get up. But man, it sure felt nice to lie down, and feel nothing but the comfort of her bed…

"No, no, I cannot sleep yet." Kumiko scold herself before sitting up on her bed, and she quickly grabbed her oval shaped glasses, which she had put on her bedside table. She still had to make sure that the test for the next day was correct, and she still had to go outside to take some copies of it.

Kumiko groaned at the thought of having to go outside. It was already past dinner time, and all she wanted was to re-examine the test before going to bed, but there was absolutely no way she was going to skip the test day just because she was feeling indolent and tired.

With a deep breath, Kumiko stood up from her bed, and made her way towards the living room. On top of the table were her books and papers, all scattered around along with some pencils and pens. Without bothering to look if someone was around, Kumiko sat down, and immediately grabbed the paper where she had written the test questions.

"Ojou." a voice called-out, and Kumiko looked to her side only to see Tetsu there, bowing in respect. "Are you planning on going outside?"

"Yes, I have to go take some copies of this test." Kumiko answered with a short nod, a small smile on her face, and Tetsu nodded. "There's no need for you to stay here, you can go take care of your chores."

"If you need anything, just call me." Tetsu said before bowing at same time he excused himself.

When Tetsu disappeared into the interior of the house, Kumiko stared down at the test, and started examining the questions. They were not extremely different, and Kumiko knew that if her students had bothered to study, they would pass with no problem.

The only dilemma was to know if they had, in fact, studied.

"Well, they better not complain if they fail." Kumiko mumbled as she continued checking the test. There appeared to be no flaw, so she guessed it was time for her to go out.

Slowly, Kumiko stood up, and voiced that she was going out in a high tone as she walked towards the front door. After putting her shoes on, Kumiko left the house, and quickly made her way towards the closest stationer's shop. As she walked through the streets, some people who were still outside would greet her with a 'good night, ojou!', and Kumiko would greet them back with a smile.

"Aww no…" Kumiko groaned when she noticed that the stationer's shop where she used to go was closed. As she walked towards the closed door, Kumiko saw a notice there which explained that the shop would be closed for a few days due to a sudden illness. "Well, I guess I better go look for another one…"

After walking for a long time, Kumiko finally managed to find an opened stationer's shop in a rather empty street, and with a wide smile, she made her way towards it. Thankfully not many people were in the shop, so Kumiko managed to request for copies in less than five minutes.

"Thank you very much!" Kumiko thanked the clerk as she made her way towards the front door, holding a small pile of papers against her chest. Finally she could go home, and dream about her knight in shinning armour. Oh, she could hardly wait!

"Aww, Kujo-san…" Kumiko sighed as she stepped out of the stationer's shop, but she stopped her tracks as her eyes focused on the dark heavens above. As she thought about the Momogaoka Girls Gakuen's teacher, Kumiko smiled absent-mindedly. She was forced to snap back to reality though, when her papers started slipping from her hands.

"Ah, better do this at home." Kumiko muttered as she pulled the papers up, and started making her way towards her house. "Besides, I should be thinking about how I'm going to tell them that they're going to have a surprise test first thing in the morning…"

At those words, Kumiko mentally winced. Oh she knew how her students were going to react alright, and thank heavens she was not easily intimidated!

As she turned around in a corner, still thinking about the next day, Kumiko was forced to stop her tracks when she noticed a group of guys surrounding someone. She could not see who it was, but by the way the gang was talking it was probably an innocent victim who had been on the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Hey you!" Kumiko called out in her strong voice, and slowly the gang turned to her, allowing the teacher to see who the poor victim was. They had no honour at all, to be attacking a girl in a rather empty street. "What do you think you're doing?"

"What the hell do you want, woman?" the leader of the gang angrily spat, and Kumiko had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. Why did they always have to overestimate her just because she was a female? "Get out of here!"

"Not until you leave that girl alone." Kumiko answered as she continued staring at the gang without blinking, "If you refuse to do it, I'll make sure you end up leaving one way or another."

"Shit, what the hell is your problem?" the leader yelled as he advanced towards her, rage clear in his voice. As she continued staring defiantly at him, Kumiko allowed the man to grasp the front of her shirt. "Do you wanna a piece of me?"

"Please, leave her alone!" the girl surrounded by the gang pleaded suddenly, but Kumiko did not look away from the leader as he continued staring down at her, with what Kumiko believed to be a frightening expression on his face.

"You have two minutes to let her go before I make you." Kumiko calmly informed the man, who simply gritted his teeth at her serene tone. "After that, I will not explain my actions."

"You bitch!" the man screamed, and Kumiko raised her right hand to block the punch he had directed to her face. Her expression was tranquil, on contrary of his that now expressed pure fury.

"I am not going to repeat myself." Kumiko stated still in the same tranquil tone of voice, and she finally directed her stare towards the rest of the gang who were now watching the whole scene. The girl she had seen was still behind them, on the ground, also observing what was going on. "Let her go!"

"The hell we will!" the leader hissed, and Kumiko looked at him again before mentally sighing; yes, they always had to take the worst path…

"You have thirty seconds." she announced, still holding the man's hand, and she quietly started increasing her grip on it. Even though her expression did not change, she smugly noticed the man glancing at his cracking bones before looking confusedly at her.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Me? Just someone who detests watching people like you hurting those who did nothing to you," Kumiko summarized, but she increased her grip again, and this time the leader of the gang let out a small cry of pain, "Five seconds."

"You bitch!"

Yep, it was official now; they always made the wrong choice…

Without blinking, Kumiko released the leader's fist before twirling around, and kick the member of the gang that tried to attack her on his side. Then, she turned to the leader of the gang again, and stared down at him since he had fallen on the ground.

"Leave."

"Tsk, c'mon." the leader spoke to his friends as he continued to hold his injured hand, and the rest of the group promptly went to his side. "This ain't over yet. You wait and see."

"I can hardly wait," Kumiko heard herself say before she could stop herself, but it was only after watching the gang running away that she glanced at the papers she was still holding with her left hand. Good, they were all intact.

"Thank you," a voice spoke suddenly, and Kumiko looked to her side only to see the girl that she had helped bowing in appreciation, after standing up. "Thank you for helping me. They showed up from behind me, and…"

"It's alright, as long as you're not hurt…" Kumiko trailed off when she noticed the books scattered on the ground, "Are those yours?"

"Oh, yes." the girl answered as she looked at her feet, and as she bent down to retrieve her things, Kumiko walked to her side. "I guess I should stop listening to music at this hour, when I'm outside."

"Well, I think you should keep your ears sharp when you're walking through a rather empty street." Kumiko answered when she spotted the girl's mp3, and she gently grabbed it. "Here. Do you have everything?"

"I think so." the girl answered as the two of them stood up again, and Kumiko was about to smile when she noticed the girl's curly hair. Also, she appeared to be a little taller than Kumiko herself, which was rather strange. "Thank you for helping me. Can I get you anything to repay you?"

"What? Oh no, no, that's okay, really." Kumiko quickly interjected, as she shook her head. "I'm just glad I was able to help you. Just make sure you get home safely. That's the best thing you can do to pay me back."

"I swear I won't listen to anymore music until I'm home." the girl promised with a nervous smile, and Kumiko smiled back at her at same time she nodded in agreement. "Well, thank you for helping me again."

Once again, Kumiko nodded as she continued smiling, and silently she watched the girl walk past her until she disappeared around the corner. She was indeed thankful that she had showed up just in time.

"Well, time to go home," Kumiko told herself, but as soon as she gave the first step forward, a melody caught her attention. In confusion, the young woman started looking around, trying to figure out from where was the song coming until she spotted something glowing from behind a trash can.

Slowly, Kumiko walked towards it, and blinked in surprise when she found herself staring right at a cell-phone. Carefully, she grabbed it, and stared at the screen only to see _'Aniki'_ flashing in it. Could it be…?

Right when Kumiko was about to press the green button, the cell-phone went quiet. In confusion, she observed it only to notice that the battery had died down. Without knowing what to do, Kumiko turned the cell-phone around so that she could stare at the back.

"Ah, a phone number!" Kumiko exclaimed out-loud, her eyes widening in surprise, "Alright! When I get home, I'll take care of this!"

As she put the cell-phone inside her bag, Kumiko increased her grip on her tests, and rushed back home. However, as soon as she got there, calling to someone she did not know was the last thing in Yamaguchi Kumiko's mind.

"I'm home!" Kumiko greeted as she walked inside her house only to be greeted back by Wakamatsu Kouzou, and Asakura Tetsu. She promptly ignored Tatsukawa Minoru, who was lying on the floor, snoring rather loudly, and looked at Yabuki Hayato and Odagiri Ryu who were standing by the door. "Oh, you guys are here. Don't be shy. Come on in."

After giving a few steps towards the interior of the house, Kumiko stopped her tracks, and looked behind her, her smile vanishing immediately. When she noticed that it were indeed her students who were standing by the entrance, her eyes widened in shock.

"Why are you here?"

So yes, returning a dead cell-phone to a stranger was the last thing in Kumiko's mind for the time being.

**To Be Continued…**


	2. One Step Closer Towards Us

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot. Also, this is based on _Gokusen 2_, but characters from _Gokusen 1_ will be present in the story. So do not lose hope!

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I just want to thank **LT** _and _**Azalie-Kauriu**. Thank you for supporting this fic, and I hope I won't disappoint you.

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**Chapter 1**

_One __Step Closer Towards Us_

It was curious, but it seemed that the more she tried to keep her family's background a secret, the more were the people who were bond to stumble upon it, and discover everything. During her first time teaching, Sawada Shin had been the one to discover about who her family was, aside from the school's principal and head teacher.

Of course that in the end everybody had ended up discovering about her family because of two noisy reports, but now it seemed as if faith was repeating itself. Two of her new students had discovered about her family, but thankfully, just like Shin had done in the past, they had promised not to say anything about what they had seen.

"Man, keeping secrets can be so exhausting…" Kumiko mumbled to herself as she scratched the side of her head, before staring down at the tests she had yet to correct. Due to some extenuating circumstances, she had been forced to put her work aside, and help her students once again. This time, it had been Hyuuga Kosuke who had been in need of a hand, and Kumiko had gladly helped him return to the correct track.

However, while Kosuke could now slowly return to his normal life, it was Kumiko who had to stay up all night, correcting the tests that should have been corrected a long time ago.

"Well, spilt water will not return to the tray." Kumiko told herself before raising the sleeves of her sweater, and she quickly grabbed a pen while she stared down at the first test. "And night's still young."

"May I?" a voice asked suddenly, and Kumiko looked over her shoulder only to see her grandfather by the entrance of her room, holding a bunch of flowers. "Just thought I could change the flowers you have in that small vase for these ones."

"Oh, thank you." Kumiko appreciated with a short bow, and her grandfather smiled at her before putting the flowers he was holding on the vase after taking the other ones from it, "Grandpa, why don't you go rest?"

"Well, I was actually thinking that the fairest flower soon fades, but the ones who take longer to bloom…" Ryuichiro glanced at Kumiko before focusing his attention on the flowers he brought again, "Are the strongest of them all."

"Grandpa…?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, you're probably very busy correcting those tests," Ryuichiro quickly started as he stood up from the floor, Kumiko watching him in silence, "But I suddenly recalled that, and decided that I should share it with someone."

"Grandpa," Kumiko called-out when her grandfather made his way towards the stairs, and for a moment the two of them just stared at each other. Then, after what had resembled to a long hour instead of one single minute, Kumiko felt her lips curling upwards, "Thank you."

"Good night," was all Ryuichiro said in reply before walking away, and Kumiko focused her attention on the tests again. However, right when she was about to look at the first answer her student had written, she found herself glancing at the flowers her grandfather had brought.

As usual he was right, and for some reason Kumiko had found herself thinking about her students as she recalled what her grandfather had told her. Her students were not the fairest of all flowers, but they were indeed the strongest ones. All they needed was an opportunity to bloom, and show their exquisiteness and splendour to the world.

However, when Kumiko finally finished correcting the tests, an exasperated sigh left her lips. Out of twenty-three students, thirteen managed to have an extremely low yet positive result, five were doing alright, and two had had a very impressive mark. Or it would have been remarkable if it was not for the fact that those two students were Yabuki Hayato and Odagiri Ryu.

"So much work to do…" Kumiko yawned before stretching her arms above her head, "Yet so little time to do it all. These guys can't be serious about all this…Gee…"

As she yawned again, Kumiko rested her arms on her bed before lowering her head in tiredness. Well, she would think about what to do about her students on the next day; for the time being, she would just crawl into her bed, and have a well-deserving sleep.

"That sure sounds good…" Kumiko moaned as she thought about falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. With a dreamy smile, the young teacher stood up from the floor, and walked towards her closet only to stumble on her handbag on the way.

With a yelp, and a graceless pose, Kumiko fell on the floor, head first. With various groans of pain, Kumiko managed to sit down, a hand resting on her lower back, the other one on her forehead. Man that sure had hurt…

"What is this doing here, anyway?" Kumiko groaned to herself as she stared at her bag, and with a wince she reached out for it. When she pulled it up, some of her things fell from it since the zipper was opened, and Kumiko could not help but sigh at her luck.

"I have no idea what this is doing here, but when I find out who did it, I'll kick his ass." Kumiko hissed to herself as she started picking her things up, but she stopped muttering threats under her breath when she spotted a strange cell-phone close to her own. "What the…?"

"_I swear I won't listen to anymore music until I'm home. Well, thank you for helping me again."_

"Ah! That girl!" Kumiko shouted before she could stop herself, her mind recalling what had happened when she had went to take copies of her test. Quickly, she stared at her watch, and sighed when she noticed that it was already past three in the morning. "There's no way I'm going to call at this hour, but…"

Silently, Kumiko looked at the cell-phone again. She was going to call the number that was on the back as soon as she was at school. This way, she would not be late, and still have enough time to get everything done.

"Yosh!" Kumiko exclaimed to herself before putting the cell-phone inside her handbag again, and she quickly stood up from the floor. "Tomorrow I'll give it back!"

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It was a little bit inelegantly that Yamaguchi Kumiko walked inside the staff's room, holding a pile of thick books with both hands. Ever since she had left her house that Kumiko had prayed for her bag not to fall off her shoulder, and thankfully her prayers had been heard. It was only when she put her books down, on her desk, that her bag fell down, but Kumiko quickly grabbed it thanks to a swift move of her wrist.

"Wow, Yamaguchi-sensei, what are you doing with all those books?" Shiratori Hitomi, the English teacher, asked as she emerged from behind her colleague, and Kumiko immediately turned around to face her. "Are you going to use all those books in class, today?"

"Ah yes, I decided that it wouldn't hurt if I helped my students to think of what they can do in the future." Kumiko started as she nodded, a proud smile on her face, "So, I'll just let them check these books, and hopefully they will find something that interests them."

"Ah, I see." Hitomi said with a slow nod, and the corner of her lips curled into a smile, "I wish you good luck then!"

"Ah thank you, but I need to take care of something now, before going to class, do you mind…?" Kumiko trailed off, and Hitomi promptly said that she was leaving to take care of her own classes.

Without thinking twice, Kumiko sat down on her chair, and grabbed her bag before taking a cell-phone from inside of it. Quickly turning it around, Kumiko grabbed the phone beside her, and dialled the number that was on the back of the cell-phone. With a bit of luck, someone would answer…

"Ah, hello?" Kumiko asked in a rather high tone when a voice suddenly echoed from the other side of the line, "Good morning, this is Yamaguchi Kumiko, teacher from the Kurogin Gakuen. I was wondering if you lost a cell-phone a few nights ago?" a short pause, and Kumiko suddenly smiled, "Yes, exactly! Well, I found it, so I was wondering if we could meet somewhere so I could give it back to you."

Hastily, Kumiko grabbed a piece of paper and a pen before writing down the address the other person was telling her.

"Ah no, there's no problem at all." Kumiko answered when the person asked if it was too troublesome for her to go so far just to hand the cell-phone back. "Is it possible for me to go there around six? I won't be able to leave school before that…Ah great! Than it's a deal, I'll be there around half past six. Okay. Thank you very much!"

It was with a wide smile that Kumiko hung up, but when she was about to stand up, ready to go to her class, Head Teacher Sawatari called her name. When she turned around to face him, and noticed the grave look on the Head Teacher's face, Kumiko's smile vanished.

That sure did not look good…

"Good morning!" Kumiko greeted as soon as she opened the door of her classroom, and her students promptly greeted her back with a 'Yo'. Without delays, Kumiko made her way towards her podium, from where she turned to her students. "Tsuchiya, Omori, Kojima, Hamaguchi. Be happy. Joyful Company is willing to interview you guys for work."

"Are you serious?"

"Alright!"

Immediately the whole classroom started cheering at same time they made a few comments about the Joyful Company, which was connected with the game arcade. The illusion of being able to play games all day quickly took over the students' minds, and Kumiko found herself thinking that perhaps she would allow them to go through that day without being aware of how awful their results had been in their latest test.

"But I have no confidence for the interview." Omori suddenly confessed, a frown on his face.

As usual, Kumiko was unable to resist, and without thinking about what she was doing, she stepped forward, and announced that they were going to perform an interview. However, truth to be told, it did not take long for Kumiko to realise that it had been a very bad idea for her to allow her students to interrogate her.

But then again how on earth would she know that thee was a possibility of her students asking her about her measurements and about her personal life?

"Those guys playing around with a teacher…" Kumiko complained as she sat down on her chair, and for a moment she thought that she should have just handed them their tests, and inform them that there could be a possible surprise quiz in the future. Either that or she could try to come up with some other idea to annoy them.

"Yamaguchi-sensei," a voice called out, and Kumiko looked to her side only to see Hitomi staring at her, hands clasped close to her neck, "there's a place I want you to go with me."

"Where?" Kumiko asked as she straightened up on her chair, and slowly turned to her side, Hitomi still watching her in the same position.

"To Tetsu's tokayaki stand," Hitomi replied as she gesticulated a little bit.

Ah drat, she had forgotten all about teacher Hitomi's interest on Tetsu! But truth was that even though Kumiko had tried to come up with something that could stop her from going to Tetsu's stand along with Hitomi, she ended up accompanying the English teacher. Even teacher Baba had managed to come up with a reason to go with them.

Oh well, all Kumiko hoped was that Tetsu would be able to deal with Hitomi's feelings without breaking the woman's heart.

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"This way…this way…" Kumiko constantly whispered to herself as she glanced around, holding a piece of paper with both her hands. It was curious though, but the street where she was standing was oddly familiar, though Kumiko could not explain why.

The sensation resembled to a very blurry memory…

"Ah! There it is!" Kumiko exclaimed when she spotted the number of the building she had been looking for, but when she reached the entrance, she stopped her tracks. That building…the bar that was next to it…those flashing and bright lights that continually blinked…

That was all becoming frightening familiar…

As she took a deep breath, Kumiko walked inside the building, but it was only when she found herself staring at a black door that everything came back to her. In seconds, both her eyes and mouth widened in shock and bewilderment, all of her attention locked with the name that was incrusted on the wall, next to the door.

"S-Sawada?!"

"Excuse me, may I help you?" a voice asked suddenly, and Kumiko twirled around on her heels still dumbstruck. In front of her was the girl she had helped not too long ago, and hopefully the rightful owner of the cell-phone she had found. "Oh, it's you!"

"Ah! Hello!" Kumiko greeted with a quick bow, and her surprised expression was quickly traded for a smile. "I'm Yamaguchi Kumiko, teacher at the Kurogin Gakuen. I believe I talked to you over the phone this morning?"

"Yes, and thank you so much for keeping my cell-phone." the girl thanked with a bow, but Kumiko shook her head, the smile never leaving her face. "I was really worried when I noticed it was gone."

"Well, fear not, because it's here." Kumiko answered before taking the cell-phone from inside of her bag, and hand it to the girl, who accepted it with both hands and another bow. "I'm glad I managed to help you."

"Would you like to come inside?" the girl asked as she smiled back at Kumiko before raising the plastic bag she was holding with her right hand, "I bought a cake, and I was thinking about making some tea."

"Oh no, there's no need for that." Kumiko started as she shook her head, but she trailed off when the girl walked past her towards a door…Sawada Shin's door. ..

"Please, offering you tea is the least I can do to thank you for everything you've done for me," the girl explained, but Kumiko practically ignored her words as she watched the girl taking a pair of keys from inside her bag, and insert them on the door's lock. "So, please, come in."

"I'm sorry, but…" when she heard the door unlocking, Kumiko glanced at the name next to the door before glancing at the girl, who was looking expectantly at her. "Do you live here?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I forgot!" the girl quickly apologized before turning around in order to face Kumiko, and she quickly bowed, hands clasped in front of her legs. "My name is Sawada Mariko."

"Sawada?" Kumiko basically shouted due to the new wave of shock that run through her body, and she immediately started rambling, "It can't be. Shin only has once sister; I'm positive he never mentioned having other siblings, which means…" Kumiko's eyes widened in astonishment, and the teacher quickly pointed at the girl, "Could it be…? Are you…? Are you Sawada Shin's wife?!"

**To Be Continued…**


	3. Fantasy in the Horizon

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot. Also, this is based on _Gokusen 2_, but characters from _Gokusen 1_ will be present in the story. So do not lose hope!

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I want to thank **Azalie-Kauriu**, **NausicaA**, **blueprincess16**, **Domyouji Love** _and_ **Lady Silverhawk** for your support. I hope you enjoy this chapter; most of you were kind enough to let me know about their shock when they read last chapter's cliffhanger, but one thing is for sure, Yamaguchi Kumiko will always be Yamaguchi Kumiko XD. I hope you enjoy this.

Ah, also, I think I've never updated a fic three times in one single week; hopefully I won't make habit out of this. Moreover I was wondering about something; I know this is only the second chapter, and there's still a long path to tread until this story is finally complete on this site, but I need some opinions from you (readers and reviewers); what do you prefer, an epilogue or a small sequel for this story? I think I'll have to write one of those because of the way this fic ends, but I was wondering of I could have some opinions. Thank you and I apologize for the trouble.

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**Chapter 2**

_Fantasy in the Horizon_

Both Hayato and Ryu quietly and leisurely made their way out of the classroom. Surprisingly the end of the day was quite warm although they were in the middle of winter. Their friends, in their rush to leave school, had left without them. However, both Hayato and Ryu knew that they were most likely to be standing by the gates, breathing in the 'fresh air of freedom'.

"I wonder if they're pondering about expelling us." Ryu commented suddenly, and Hayato glanced sideways at him before sighing.

"Who knows." he answered, "They are always trying to expel our class. It's annoying."

At that, Ryu nodded, and before they knew it, the two friends were walking through the gates of Kurogin Gakuen. However, instead of being greeted by their friends, who were supposed to be waiting for them, both Ryo and Hayato stopped their tracks at the sight in front of them.

"Would you like a tour?"

"Did you bring any friends?"

"Are you lost?"

"What are those three doing?" Hayato asked as he continued watching his friends teasing a girl, dressed in Momogaoka Girls Gakuen's uniform. "They're supposed to be pissed off at the superintendent."

Instead of answering, Ryu continued observing his friends, his eyes narrowing slightly. The girl had her back turned to him and Hayato, allowing Ryu to see her mid-length brown hair quite easily. The reason why Ryu had stared at it first was due to the fact it was curly, though a little wild, which was something uncommon to see in Japanese girls. Not only that, but the girl appeared to be quite tall as well, since she was taller than Keita, and perhaps even Kosuke.

"C'mon, let's go." Hayato commanded suddenly as he hit Ryu on the arm with the back of his left hand.

"Have you come here all by yourself?"

"Oi, what are you guys doing?" Hayato inquired when he reached Keita's side, while Ryu stopped next to Tsuchiya, and everyone turned to him. "Leave her alone."

"Aw c'mon Hayato, it's not as if we're doing something wrong." Kosuke whined, but Hayato simply rolled his eyes while Ryu glanced at the strange girl. She was looking at Hayato, her hazel eyes protected by a pair of rectangle glasses with black frame.

She seemed to be Japanese, yet at same time she did not resembled to one.

"What are you doing here?" Ryu decided to ask, and the girl turned to him, "This is an all boys' school."

"Yes, I know." the girl replied with a nod, "I was actually going in when they showed up." she glanced at Tsuchiya, Keita and Kosuke. "Hum…do you think you can tell me where the staff room is?"

"We'll do better than that. C'mon." Hayato spoke suddenly before grabbing the girl's wrist, and start dragging her behind him. "Why do you need to go to the staff's room anyway?"

"Oh, hum I'm looking for one of the teachers." the girl started as she struggled to keep up with Hayato's pace, the rest of the boys following them in silence. "You wouldn't know where I can find Yamaguchi Kumiko-sensei, would you?"

"You know Yankumi?" Keita asked suddenly, and the girl was about to answer him when Hayato unexpectedly stopped his tracks, and she crashed right into his back, "How do you know her?"

"Sorry," the girl apologized to Hayato, who was still holding her wrist before turning to Keita. "Yamaguchi-sensei saved me from some thugs a few nights ago, and she kept my cell-phone, which I didn't know I had lost until I got home. She ended up calling me to say that she had my cell-phone, and that she wanted to meet with me in order to give it back."

"Don't tell me she forgot to meet you." Tsuchiya commented before smirking, "She's like that, you know? Go figure how she actually managed to become a math's teacher."

"No, actually we did meet, but…" the girl glanced at Hayato when he let go off her wrist before gazing at the rest of the boys, "I think she misunderstood a few things."

"Let me guess, she interrupted you before you got the chance to explain what was truly going on." Kosuke observed, and the girl looked at him before nodding. "That's very typical of her as well."

"But consider yourself lucky because we are her students." Tsuchiya pointed out as he walked past Ryu, and wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders. "My name is Tsuchiya Hikaru, and these are my best friends, Yabuki Hayato, Odagiri Ryu, Takeda Keita, and Hyuuga Kosuke. Now, you are…?"

"Mariko-chan?" a voice called out, out of the blue, and the group looked behind them only to see non-other than Yamaguchi Kumiko standing a few meters away from them. "What are you doing here, at this hour?"

"Yankumi-san," the girl whispered as she turned fully to the teacher before bowing, "I came here because I think you had the wrong idea yesterday, and since you didn't give me the time to explain what was going on, I thought I should come and look for you."

"Actually, I'm the one who's sorry." Kumiko started as she approached the group before glaring at Tsuchiya, who immediately dropped his arm from around Mariko's shoulders. "I was so surprised that I didn't even ask you how Shin is. I think I was just stunned with the fact that one of my brightest students got married."

"Married?" the five boys that were listening to the whole conversation abruptly asked as they looked from Kumiko to Mariko. "You're married?"

"No, no, no! And that's what I tried to tell Yankumi-san yesterday!" Mariko quickly started, and everybody looked at Kumiko, who blinked in confusion. "I'm Sawada Mariko, not because I got married to Shin, but because I'm his cousin. My father is his father's brother."

There was a moment of silence, and then Kumiko's eyes widened in shock.

"_Eh?__!"_

* * *

Despite of the late hour, Kumiko had managed to drag Mariko, Hayato and Ryu to Teruo Kumai's restaurant. Tsuchiya, Keita and Kosuke had escaped by uttering the most pitiful excuses. Hayato and Ryu had tried to do the same, but Kumiko had convinced them by saying that two helpless girls were not supposed to wander around through the deserted streets at night all by themselves.

Even though she was everything but feeble…

"Oi, what are we doing here?" Hayato asked as he rested his elbow on the back of his chair as he stared at Kumiko, who was sitting across from him. "It's going to ruin our reputation if people see us wandering around with a teacher."

"We came here to eat!" Kumiko exclaimed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world before glancing at the girl, who was sitting next to her. "Thank you so much for joining us, Mariko-chan!"

"It's not as if any of us had the chance to refuse." Ryu declared, and Kumiko glanced at him before dropping her head in shame.

"But you know; now I'm curious." Hayato started as he rested his elbows on the table, and Kumiko felt a chill run down her spine at his smirk. "Who's Sawada Shin anyway? Yamaguchi is not one to fret over every little thing."

"Oh, Shin is my cousin as you know, he wa—"

"He made part of my first class." Kumiko interrupted, and the two boys looked from Mariko to her, "He was like you; didn't want to believe in teachers, and never expected for me to actually give him a hand whenever he needed."

"Stop interrupting people. You're a teacher; you're supposed to give us the example." Ryu advised unenthusiastically, and Kumiko looked at him before dropping her head with a soft 'yes'.

"It's okay. Shin told me all about Yankumi-san." Mariko started with a smile, and both boys along with Kumiko stared expectantly at her. "Oh, no need to look like that; he didn't say anything bad I assure you. He just told me she was a clumsy teacher, very determined, but a tad too violent—"

"Violent?" Kumiko shouted suddenly before slamming her hands against the table as she pushed her chair backwards in order to stand up. "He said I'm violent? Wait until I get my hands on him!"

"Yankumi," Kumai called out suddenly, and the teacher turned around to face him with a scowl only to notice that everyone inside the restaurant were staring at her.

"Ah! Err…I mean, did he really call me violent?" Kumiko asked as she turned to Mariko at same time she sat down, and the girl nodded before elaborating her answer.

"He also said that you're quite wise and very nice," she continued, and this time Kumiko smiled as she felt her chest swell with pride. "Ah, he also said something about you being unable to find a husband."

"WHAT?" Kumiko cried out in disbelief, and before someone could stop her, she stood up from the chair again, hands closed into tight fists. Ryu was silently watching her, in an unimpressed manner, wile Hayato was trying to hide an amused grin with the back of his hand.

"Sit down. You're scaring the costumers." Ryu reprimanded in a bored tone, and Kumiko mumbled a 'yes' before sitting down again. This time, however, before someone could say a word, Kumai appeared with their food.

"Please, enjoy your meal." Kumai said with a wide smile, his hands clasped in front of his chest, but when he turned around, he was forced to stop when a voice called out his name.

"Kumai-san, Shin once informed me that you could need a hand, here at the restaurant." Mariko started, everybody watching her in silence. "I was wondering…after school…could I come give you a hand?"

"Err, well, I thank you for your offer, but I have to decline." Kumai started, "You see, we are indeed a bit short-handed, but we don't have enough financial stability to start hiring people."

"But I don't need a salary." Mariko interjected as she raised her right hand slightly in the air, "I just want to give you a hand. I can work as a waitress if you want me to."

"Really, I thank you, but if you were ever to work here, I'd have to pay you." Kumai replied before smiling again, and bow slightly. "Please, enjoy your meal."

"What if…what if you pay me with meals?" Mariko asked as she turned on her chair since Kumai was now walking towards the counter, "You could pay me by letting me have dinner here."

"Mariko-chan let him be." Kumiko said in a hushed tone as she rested a hand on the girl's arm. "I'm sure you know how Kuma is when it comes to his restaurant. I'm sure Shin told you about it."

"Well, itadakimasu!" Hayato exclaimed unpredictably, but that was enough for everyone to focus their attention on their respective meals.

It was when both Hayato and Ryu were about to finish their meals that Hayato's cell-phone started ringing. As he apologized, Hayato took it from inside his bag, and quickly read the text-message he had received before turning to Ryu.

"The guys want us to meet up with them." Hayato informed, but Ryu simply continued staring at him. "They want to celebrate Tsuchiya's interview."

"Who celebrates an interview?" Ryu asked, but Hayato simply hit him lightly on the shoulder before standing up, and turn to Kumiko.

"Thanks for the meal." he raised two fingers, and did the rabbit ears. "See ya tomorrow."

"Thank you for the meal." Ryu thanked as he also stood up from his chair, and he quietly looked from Kumiko to Mariko, who looked back at him. "It was nice meeting you."

"It was nice meeting you as well." Mariko replied with a nod and a small smile at same time Kumiko wished her students a good night, and advised them not to get into any sort of trouble.

"Kuma-san!" Hayato called out when he was about to walk through the front door, and the said boy looked at him from the counter. "Yamaguchi will pay for my and Ryu's meals. Good night!"

"Wait, what?!" Kumiko shouted, but all that answered her was Hayato's laughter as he walked out of the restaurant close followed by a silent Ryu. "Ah, those guys have such a nerve!"

A small giggle forced the still irritated Kumiko to glance at Mariko, but her exasperation vanished at the sight of the girl's smile. Somehow she and Shin had the same smile, though Shin usually preferred to smirk to reveal his attractive smile.

"Right then, what do you have to tell me about Sawada?" Kumiko asked when Mariko stopped giggling, the corner of her lips curling up into an amused smile. "What has he been doing in Africa all these years? How come he never sent me a letter or called me? What has been going on?"

* * *

"Alright, I have my picture!" Tsuchiya announced as he grabbed his photos, Hayato, Ryu, Keita and Kosuke watching him in silence. "And my resume is done, too."

"Okay then, should we celebrate his upcoming interview?" Hayato asked with his hands stuffed inside his pants, while both Keita and Kosuke cheered. Ryu, who was leaned against the photo booth, also rested his hands inside his pants pockets.

"Nobody celebrates an interview." he commented at same time his friends pointed at Hayato, excited about the idea of celebrating. Kosuke, took the cue, and approached Ryu before patting him on the arm.

"Don't worry, there's nothing to be scared of." he teased, and Keita looked from him to Hayato, who was standing next to him.

"Then, let's go karaoke!"

"Okay, then let's go!" Kosuke exclaimed excitedly while both Hayato and Tsuchiya nodded eagerly, Ryu watching them without much interest. Without wasting too much time, the group started making their way towards karaoke, Tsuchiya feeling quite content about his pictures and resume.

"Oh-oh," Tsuchiya whispered when he accidentally dropped his papers and pictures, but when he bent down to grab them, he found it impossible to do so because a shoe suddenly stepped on them.

Slowly, Tsuchiya looked up at the person who was stepping on his things with an annoyed expression, but he did not even blink when he noticed the five guys wearing a white uniform.

"Aren't you from Kurogin?" the leader asked as he stared down at Tsuchiya with a smug look on his face, and Tsuchiya slowly straightened up so that he could stare at the leader right in the eye.

"Tanade from Todoroki." he acknowledged; the rest of his group finally noticing his absence, and turning around to see where he was. Without exchanging a word, Hayato started making his way towards Tsuchiya, the rest of his friends quickly following him in silence.

"You guys are gonna find work, too?" Tanade asked as he looked at the rest of the group when they stopped beside Tsuchiya, but this time it was Kosuke who spoke.

"Huh? You gotta a problem with that?"

Instead of replying, Tanade glanced at Tsuchiya again before bending down to grab the fallen papers and pictures. When he straightened up again, he started waving the papers in front of the students from Kurogin, a bored look on his face.

"Gonna work hard once you graduate?" he questioned still waving the papers around, and Keita narrowed his eyes slightly.

"It's none of your business."

"Working? Are you guys' stupid?" Tanade asked, and before someone could stop him, he ripped Tsuchiya's resume and pictures in half, and Hayato stepped forward at the actions of the student from Todoroki.

"Why don't you stop it already?" he asked in a hushed tone before grabbing Tanade by the collar, and Ryu moved closer to his friend immediately, sensing that a fight was about to burst in that street.

"Stop it. Don't pay attention to this kind of guys." he advised in a controlled tone, but his words were enough to enrage Tanade and the rest of his gang, who immediately turned to Ryu with an infuriated expression on his face.

"_This_ kind of guys?" Tanade repeated, and he suddenly increased his tone of voice. "Now you've said it!"

"You guys looking down on us?" another member of the gang asked suddenly as he walked past Tanade, and grasped Hayato's collar, and before someone could react, Hayato stepped forth, and punched the guy straight on the cheek.

"Hayato!" Ryu called out, but it was already too late; the malicious wave of danger that had been surrounding them swiftly crashed against the white sand, and the ten students promptly started throwing punches and kicks, hitting everything that crossed their path.

On the next day, when she heard that her students had once again gotten into a fight, Kumiko could not help but feel disappointed. However, all of her frustration vanished and was replaced by rant and rave when Head Teacher Sawatari told her that aside from the fact none of her students had made the interview, Tsuchiya was to blame for everything.

But the worse came when Kumiko heard Tsuchiya apologizing to her for what had happened.

"Don't say sorry." she started in a harsh tone, "You ruined the interview we got after great trouble. Stop being so easy-going." when her students suddenly started blaming the other guys for the fight, Kumiko turned to them. "You guys might be okay with that, but what about them?" she motioned to Tsuchiya and the others with her head, "Because of your stupid fight, they weren't able to go through with the interview. I'm not going to tell you not to fight, but there are times in life you have to act smart; time to exercise self-control."

"Alright, alright. I couldn't control myself." Hayato finally confessed in a dispassionate tone, and Kumiko felt anger pulsating through her body at his tone.

"Don't show me that attitude." she started still in a controlled tone, but when she heard Omori, Kojima, and Hamaguchi comment that it had been better for them not to make the interview because they would most likely fail, Kumiko lost it.

"It's not okay!" she exclaimed in a very unforgiving tone, no longer able to control her anger. "It's about your lives. How can you say you don't care? Think about your lives more seriously!"

For a moment there was a pause, and Kumiko took a deep breath in an attempt to relax her heated muscles. Slowly, she turned around, and stared at all of her students, who were silently watching her.

"Up until now, your parents covered for you guys, no matter what you did." she started more calmly, "But it's going to be different from now on."

"Clean up your own mess, right?" Ryu finally asked also in a composed tone as he looked at Kumiko from his seat, and the teacher sighed before staring back at him.

"Not just that." she started, "Take responsibility for your actions; easier said than done. But you guys still don't understand its importance. Your thoughtless actions might involve others and even hurt them. There might be things that cannot be undone. Keep that in mind."

Slowly the door of the classroom was opened, and everyone saw the Superintendent, the Head Teacher and Inuzuka Taichi step inside. And when Kumiko heard the Superintendent comment that there was no need for her students to look for jobs from that moment on, and even though she had expressed that it was her dream to see them all graduate, for a split of a second Kumiko found herself wondering if her dream was not but a fantasy in the horizon.

**To Be Continued…**


	4. Oasis in the Future

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot. Also, this is based on _Gokusen 2_, but characters from _Gokusen 1_ will be present in the story. So do not lose hope!

* * *

I want to thank **Youko-Kuramas-Kitsune**, **NausicA**, **Domyouji Love**, **blueprincess16**, **Azalie-Kauriu**, **Mizuki**, **cra-z-stephie** _and_ **KAT-TUN Lover** for everything. You guys are amazing! Really! Your support is truly important to me, and I thank you for everything!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_Oasis in the Future_

That day was going to be chilly and breezy. There were no clouds in the sky, but a fresh gentle wind was blowing from east, caressing the faces and hairs of those who were already outside while it danced with the surviving leaves of trees. Hopefully that day was going to be calm as well because the last two days had resembled to a blur.

Despite of the Superintendent's words, Kumiko was determined to help everyone find jobs. She inclusively went to various places, chosen by her students, to plead to the owner to interview the student that had showed interested in working there. Most of the time, however, the owners were not entirely in the mood for interviews, and tried to dismiss Kumiko, who refused to give up that easily.

She tried so hard that some people even considered her as annoying.

The corner of Ryu's lips curled up into a smirk as he thought that even though his teacher was annoying, she also did things that no other teacher did. On contrary of the rest of the staff, Kumiko tried to help her students in any way she could.

Who would have thought that such a teacher would cross his path?

"Why don't you try to run now?" a voice asked suddenly, and Ryu slowed his pace down a bit in confusion. "Do you really think we're not going to do what we said? Tsk, how can you be that naïve and still be alive?"

Laughter quickly followed those words, and Ryu looked to his side in confusion. On his left were various trees that made it quite difficult for him to see what could be happening on the other side. Still, Ryu decided to get closer, and try to discover what was going on.

"Such a hideous hair." the same voice continued while Ryu walked towards a tree, and tried to look from behind it. "Do you really think you can go to our school with that bush? I'm truly starting to think you've been living under a rock."

"Why don't we give her a hand?" another female voice asked suddenly, and snickers started to be heard. "After all, this _is_ gruesome. It gives a terrible reputation to our school, so I think it's our duty to make the bad things disappear."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" the first voice Ryu had heard commented suddenly, and snickers and snorts were heard again. In confusion, Ryu tried to get closer by walking around another tree, but his eyes widened at what he saw.

He would recognize that wild and curly hair anywhere…

"Scissors."

"What are you doing?" Ryu finally decided to step forth by emerging from behind the tree he had been using to stay out of sight, and five girls dressed in Momogaoka Girls Gakuen's uniforms looked at him. "Little girls shouldn't be allowed to play with scissors."

"Who the hell are you?" one girl harshly asked, and Ryu guessed she was probably the leader due to the pompous way she was sticking her chest out, her long and straight black hair falling down to her elbows. Before Ryu could answer, however, the girl glanced at his uniform, "Kurogin, eh? What are you doing here?"

"Stop it, Akemi, you know what they say about those guys..." another girl from the group whispered, and the leader glared at her friend before gazing at the girl who was standing in the middle of the circle, looking down.

"This is not over yet." she warned loud enough for Ryu to hear, and then she smirked before raising a hand, and run her fingers down a brown curl. "Your prince in shinning armour may have appeared, but there's no one to save you at school."

In silence, Ryu watched the group of girls turning around, and walk away. However, it was only when silence started settling down around them that Ryu glanced at the girl, who still had her back to him.

"You okay?" he asked, but he could swear he had heard a shaky sigh leave the girl's lips. Without knowing what else to do, Ryu walked to her side, and stared at her bowed face. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, thank you." Mariko finally answered with a short nod, but Ryu watched the way she was holding the curl that Akemi had touched before walking away. Then, the girl looked up at him, "What are you doing here?"

"I was on my way to school when I heard that girl talking." Ryu replied with a small shrug, and Mariko nodded at his explanation. It was also then that Ryu noticed a black bag close to Mariko's feet, and he bent down to grab it before handing it to the girl. "Do they do that often?"

"It doesn't really matter." Mariko mumbled, and before Ryu knew it, they were walking away from the trees, towards their schools. "But thank you for showing up."

"Don't thank me," Ryu mumbled, feeling a little uneasy with the appreciation, and Mariko glanced sideways at him before nodding in agreement. "And I know it's none of my business, but I don't think you should let them bully you like that."

"Don't worry about me, really." Mariko quickly said before smiling, and Ryu blinked at her behaviour. "On the other hand, you look a little tired. Are you feeling alright?"

"That would be Yamaguchi's fault." Ryu spoke before he could restrain himself, and Mariko entitled her head slightly at his answer, which lead Ryu to continue. "She's trying to find us all jobs. She never stops, and some people even think she's bothersome."

"Really?" Mariko asked in surprise, and Ryu glanced at her before nodding. "Wow. I wish I had a teacher like that. Shin always tells me things about Yankumi-san, but he never mentioned anything about her being that dedicated." a small chuckle, "I think he just doesn't want Yankumi-san to know that he actually admires her."

"You think…Yamaguchi's someone to be admired?" Ryu slowly asked as he stared at her, and Mariko quickly nodded as she clasped her hands behind her back.

"I think I'm going to do the same." she started, and Ryu blinked in confusion when her smile grew wider. "I'm going to tell Kumai-san that I want to work with him, and I'll do it even if that means I'll have to be bothersome as well."

"Tsk, what's wrong with you women?" Ryu asked in a whispered tone, but before he could say something else an arm suddenly rested on his shoulders while another one rested around Mariko's.

"Don't we look cosy?" a voice teased suddenly, and the two students looked to the person who was now between them only to see Tsuchiya there, watching them with a smirk. "Ryu, you sure move fast. When did this happen?"

"Don't be annoying so early in the morning." Ryu replied as he glanced at his tall friend, though he did notice how Mariko's pale cheeks suddenly gained a faint shade of pink. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Actually, we're all here." Keita pointed out as he emerged from behind Ryu along with Kosuke. "In fact, we spotted you a few minutes ago, but you looked so cosy that we didn't have the heart to interrupt you."

"Never thought I'd live to see the day you guys would become mushy." Hayato commented suddenly as he appeared beside Mariko, who glanced at him still blushing while Ryu shook his head. "I apologize for ruining the moment, but we kind of have to rush. You too, Mariko, unless you fancy the idea of being late to classes like we do."

"What?" Mariko asked before glancing down at her watch, and her eyes widened when she saw the time. "Ah! I didn't notice it was so late! I'm so sorry, but I have to rush. Ryu-kun, thank you for helping me! I'll see you later!"

"Ryu-_kun_?" Tsuchiya, Keita and Kosuke chorused as they focused their attention on Ryu while Mariko waved a quick goodbye before running away. "See you later? What on earth is going on between you two?"

"Stop being so annoying," Ryu advised as he tried to leave the spotlight, and Hayato looked away from the direction Mariko had taken to go to her school to gaze at his friends.

"Guys," he called out, hands now stuffed inside his pants pockets, and his friends turned to him, "it's time to get serious. We have something to do."

* * *

"We'll pay you back." Hayato informed Kumiko as he stood before her, Kosuke standing on his left while both Tsuchiya and Keita were on his right. Ryu, silent as ever, was standing behind his best friend.

"Pay back?" Kumiko asked in confusion, and Ryu straightened up as he got ready to explain what Hayato meant.

"He means we'll graduate." he clarified without walking around his friends and Kumiko felt her heart skip a beat at those words. Not only that, but surprise took over her limbs when Kumiko noticed how serious they all looked.

"All of us together." Tsuchiya continued with a small smile, and Kumiko looked away from Ryu to glance at him.

"We don't want it to go the way the superintendent wants it." Kosuke elaborated as he stared at the ceiling, and Kumiko turned to him before focusing her attention on Keita when he spoke up.

"Just watch us."

"You guys…" Kumiko breathed out, but she trailed off when she noticed Hayato taking a deep breath, and parting his lips to speak.

"We definitely won't fight until we graduate." he assured with a short nod, and Ryu supported his friend by adding a 'we promise'. Then, as silence followed that oath, Kumiko started glancing at her five students, and beamed when she noticed that they were all trying to hide their embarrassed smiles.

After classes, Kumiko made her way back home. Even though long hours had passed ever since her students had swore not to get into any sort of fights so that they could all graduate together, she could not help but smile at the memory. Her eyes had almost tear up when she had heard them, but she would never allow herself to show her tears so openly.

Besides, it was fantastic to be able to witness their bloom. Her grandfather had been correct as always; her students did indeed take longer to bloom, on contrary of the fairest flowers, but when they did…they were indeed the strongest of them all.

"I'm home!" Kumiko announced in a high tone as soon as she walked through the front door, and Wakamatsu Kouzou, Asakura Tetsu, and Tatsukawa Minoru immediately showed up to welcome her, "Hello everyone!"

"Hello ojou!" the three men welcomed with bows, and Kumiko smiled at them before walking inside her house. She just could not help but feel in high-spirits; she was feeling extremely proud of her students, and nothing was going to ruin that moment.

"Hum, ojou…" Tetsu started suddenly, and Kumiko twirled around to face him, a wide smile still on her face. For a moment, Tetsu was silent until he forced himself to shake his head. "You have a visitor."

"Really? Who is it?" Kumiko asked, and Tetsu promptly informed her that the visitor was in the living-room, waiting for her. Tetsu also let Kumiko know that her visitor had arrived approximately fifteen minutes before her.

In confusion, Kumiko made her way towards the living-room, and she almost fell head first on the floor in surprise.

"Mariko-chan!" she exclaimed in bewilderment, and a pair of hazel eyes turned to her as the girl continued cleaning her glasses with the hem of her shirt. "W-What are you doing here? H-How did you know I live here?"

"H-Hello," Mariko greeted hesitantly, and Kumiko quickly rushed to her side, eyes still widened in shock. "Hum, Shin kind of told me you lived here. I-I'm sorry for showing up without any sort of notice, but I have something to tell you that I think you should know right away."

"Did something happen?" Kumiko asked worriedly, before narrowing her eyes slightly in suspicion, "Did you see my students getting into some sort of trouble?"

"No, no, I…" Mariko put her glasses back to their rightful place before starting to twiddle her fingers in nervousness, Kumiko watching her as anxiety forced her heart to start speeding up. "I talked to Shin one hour ago, and he told me that…"

"Did something happen to him?" Kumiko interrupted unable to stop herself, and Mariko immediately looked up at her before shaking her head, "Then what? What's going on?"

"He told me that he's coming back to Japan." Mariko finally announced, and everything went silent.

Even though all she wanted to do was to question Mariko about the news she had just heard, Kumiko found it impossible to open her lips, and utter the questions. Inwardly she was jumping in excitement and happiness with the thought of finally being able to see Shin, and personally ask him about what he did in Africa during those past three years, but outwardly she was motionless as a rock.

"Yankumi-san?" Mariko called out, concerned about the way Kumiko was staring into space, but when she was about to rest a hand on the teacher's shoulder, a cell-phone started ringing. "Yankumi-san, it's your phone."

"Huh? What?" Kumiko finally asked as she snapped back to reality, and she apologized when she noticed that it was indeed her phone that was ringing from inside of her bag. Without thinking twice, Kumiko reached out for it. "Hello? Ah! Shiratori-sensei," there was a short pause, "Eh? Where is it?"

Suddenly, Kumiko hung up, and stood up from the floor before turning to Mariko, who had been watching her in silence.

"I'm sorry, Mariko-chan, but I have to go." she announced, "My students are in danger."

"I'll take you!" Mariko declared right when Kumiko was about to storm out of the living-room, and she hastily stood up from the floor. "I may not be able to help you, but we'll probably arrive faster if we go by car, right?"

"Yes, thank you."

* * *

The sound of punches, kicks, groans and yells were echoing through the whole warehouse when Kumiko and Mariko stormed inside. Quickly spotting Shiratori Hitomi hiding behind a pillar, the two young women rushed to her side, Kumiko calling out for the English teacher's name.

"Yamaguchi-sensei! Over there!" Hitomi nervously exclaimed as she pointed at what was going on close to their position, and both Kumiko and Mariko looked at the same direction. Immediately Mariko raised a hand to her lips while Kumiko felt her breath get stuck in her throat at the sight of her students being beaten up. "They won't fight back at all!"

"Heh?" Kumiko gasped in surprise as she glanced at Hitomi, who promptly nodded.

"They didn't try to hit them back even once." the English teacher hastily added, and Kumiko focused her attention on her students again, this time recalling the promise they had made.

"They can't…" she whispered still watching the feral scene continue in front of her.

"_We definitely won't fight until we graduate." _

"_We promise."_

As she watched her students fall to the floor, the other guys observing their actions with perplexity, Kumiko closed her right hand into a tight fist. Her students were keeping their promise, so it was time for her to keep hers as well. And so, without uttering one single world, Kumiko stepped forward, and revealed herself to everyone.

"Don't touch my precious students!" Kumiko shouted in order to have all of the attention, and the students from the other high school immediately looked over their shoulders, at her. "You've done enough."

"Who're you?" Tanade asked as he turned to Kumiko, and started advancing towards her. The teacher, instead of running away as the student probably expected, raised her chin even higher as she prepared to answer.

"Me? I'm their homeroom teacher."

From her spot, Mariko watched Kumiko freeing her hair before taking her glasses off. The teacher's words were still echoing through the whole warehouse, and for a moment she recalled what Shin had once told her. Kumiko was someone no sane person should mess with whenever she became angry.

Without being able to help Kumiko, Mariko was forced to watch the math teacher exchange a few words with Tanade. A gasp left her lips, however, when Tanade suddenly raised a fist, and hit the teacher square on the cheek. Nevertheless, since Kumiko continued standing in front of the student without even trembling, Mariko knew that she was okay.

Accordingly to Shin, she was always alright when it came to fighting.

"Why aren't you running?" Tanade asked puzzled by the teacher's actions, his eyes never leaving Kumiko's, who refused to answer. "Fight back!"

"You won't understand why they aren't fighting back." Kumiko started in a calm tone before stepping forward, and consequently Tanade stepped backwards. "They weren't holding back just to entertain you. They've endured so much. I can't just waste their efforts. Hit me all you want. But make sure you know what you're doing, because I'm prepared for the worst!"

It was curious how the pregnant silence that followed Kumiko's speech resembled to a victorious lullaby. Even from afar, Mariko watched as Tanade fell on the ground due to the strength behind Kumiko's words before telling his friends that it was time to retreat.

While students from Todoroki left the warehouse, Mariko and Hitomi continued standing on the same spot watching Kumiko talking to her students. Even though Mariko had heard Kumiko call the boys stupid, she knew Kumiko had done it because she was surprised by her students' actions. Anyone who would be surprised and touched by the students' actions…

"We promised you..." Ryu whispered as he continued leaning against the wall, like the rest of his friends.

"We're going to graduate…" Kosuke groaned from his spot, and Mariko felt her heart skipping a beat at those words. Their bond…it was impossible to describe how touching the scene that occurring in front of her was …

"…Together with everyone…" Keita finished as he tried to straighten up, but he ended up wincing due to his wounds, and Kumiko dropped her head as she tried to conceal her tears. She was not going to cry! She was not going to cry!

"You guys are…" Kumiko whispered as she looked down for a moment, "You guys are…" she raised her eyes to glance at the five wounded boys in front of her at same time she struggled not to shed a few tears. "You guys are students I can be proud of."

From their spot, both Mariko and Hitomi watched Kumiko ruffling her students' hairs despite of their physical condition. However, while Mariko was smiling at the scene, Hitomi was watching the interaction with a saddened expression on her face which eventually was defeated by a small smile.

"Alright, let's go!" Kumiko exclaimed as she threw a punch into the air before going to Hitomi's side, and rest a hand on the other teacher's arm, while Mariko silently went to Kumiko's side. "C'mon, get up!"

"Oi, don't push it, we're wounded." the boys complained as they struggled to stand up, but while Kumiko turned her back to them, and made her way towards the door of the warehouse, Mariko watched her leave.

Shin was right; Yamaguchi Kumiko did indeed resemble to a pearl lost in the middle of the vast ocean…

"C'mon guys, move!" Kumiko shouted when she reached the door, and Mariko smiled when the boys started complaining about being too injured to even walk straight. Then, without thinking about her actions, Mariko walked to Hayato and Ryu, and wrapped her arms around the boys' waists.

There was also something else that Mariko was forced to agree with, and that Shin had once told her about. Yamaguchi Kumiko did indeed make it look as if there was always an oasis in the future, for all of them.

**To Be Continued…**


	5. The Yesterday and Us

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot. Also, this is based on _Gokusen 2_, but characters from _Gokusen 1_ will be present in the story. So do not lose hope!

* * *

I want to thank **Azalie-Kauriu**, **NausicA**, **Youko-Kuramas-Kitsune**,** cra-z-stephie**,** KAT-TUN Lover**, **blueprincess16 **for everything. I'm very, very happy to know you're enjoying this story so far. I hope I won't disappoint you.

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**Chapter 4**

_The Yesterday and Us_

Since it was too dangerous to take the boys to Kumiko's house, it was declared that Mariko was to take them to her own apartment in order to tend the boys' wounds. Although at the beginning all the boys had tried to escape from such fate, they ended shutting up after a vicious glare from Kumiko.

And thus that had been how Hayato, Ryu, Keita, Tsuchiya and Kosuke had ended up sitting scattered around through Mariko's living room, silently watching the girl as she walked out of the bathroom, holding the first aid kit. Keita was the first one to be taken cared of, but truth was that no one had exchanged a word ever since they had left the warehouse.

Somehow they felt that if they spoke, the feelings that had lead to that situation would be lost…

"I'm sorry; this is going to sting a little." Mariko apologized as she grabbed the alcohol, but Keita simply nodded in understanding as he watched the girl taking some cotton from inside the first aid kit. "You guys…"

"Don't need a lecture, much less from you." Hayato finished as he raised his left knee, his head leaning against the wall, and Mariko glanced at him before focusing her attention on Keita's wounds.

"I'm not going to lecture you." Mariko diverged before grabbing a band-aid, and put it gently over a small wound on Keita's forehead. "I was just going to say…even though I'm kind of used to be surrounded by bad boys, you…did a great job making me feel moved."

"Eh? When did that happen?" Tsuchiya asked as he watched Mariko standing up from the floor, and make her way towards Kosuke, after grabbing the first aid kit. "We got beat up; since when is that touching?"

"I didn't mean that your fight moved me." Mariko interjected as she checked Kosuke's face, and mentally breathed in relief when she noticed that he only had superficial cuts. "I was referring to the reason why you didn't fight back."

"Man, Yankumi really doesn't know when to be quiet, does she?" Keita whispered as he shook his head, and Mariko smiled at him as she continued tending Kosuke. "Promise you won't tell anything about this?"

"Well, I may mention it to my cousin, but I promise I won't tell anyone else that you bad boys are actually sweet and caring." Mariko answered in a teasing tone before standing up, and she walked towards Tsuchiya, who rolled his eyes.

"We're doomed."

"Hey, have some faith in me!" Mariko exclaimed indignantly as she knelt next to the tall boy, "Or next time I'll let you wander around through the city with those faces."

"Fine, fine, let's just get over this because I have to go home." Tsuchiya mumbled, and Mariko shook her head at his antics before noticing that the right side of his lower lip was already swelling. "And don't do that, you're acting like my mother."

"Which is kind of scaring," Kosuke finished as Mariko cleaned a cut on Tsuchiya's left cheek before putting a band-aid over it. "Anyway, once you're finished with Tsuchi, we're out of here."

"Are you scared I'll force you to eat chicken-soup or something?" Mariko asked as she turned to Kosuke with an eyebrow raised, and all of the boys groaned at the thought. "Ah-ah; it seems to me that I have accidentally figured out what you hate the most."

"Okay, that's it, we're out of here." Tsuchiya quickly started before standing up from the floor, Keita and Kosuke promptly mimicking his words. "I don't know what about you guys, but I wish you good luck with this wicked nurse."

"Hey!" Mariko exclaimed huffily once again, but Tsuchiya, Keita and Kosuke rushed their goodbyes, and rapidly left the apartment. "I was just joking…"

"Chicken-soup is evil, you know." Hayato commented from his spot, and Mariko glanced at him with an incredulous expression on her face.

"It's just soup; you guys are behaving as if it's something that will kill you or something." she muttered, and Hayato looked from her to Ryu, who had been watching the conversation in silence.

"Did you ever think we'd meet someone who actually likes chicken-soup?" he asked in a hushed tone, behaving as if it was supposed for Mariko not to hear him, and Ryu shook his head. Mariko, on the other hand, pouted at his behaviour before standing up from the floor.

"If you're going to be mean to me, than you can forget about me taking care of your wounds." she stated before making her way towards Ryu, and sit down on her legs beside him. "Seriously, you guys are all the same."

"Tsk, don't put us on the same group." Ryu suddenly remarked as he pointed at Hayato with his chin, and his friend sent him a wounded look.

"Ah Ryu, how can you be so mean?" he asked in a dramatic tone, and Mariko had to bit her lower lip to stop herself from smiling, though she ended up failing miserably. "Anyway, Mariko, do you live all by yourself?"

"Yes, at least for now." the girl answered as she checked Ryu's face for wounds, and she gently caressed the wound he had on the corner of his lips, on the left side of his face. "I talked to my cousin, and hopefully I'll be able to stay here for a while after he returns."

"Hum and how is he?" Hayato asked as he stared down at his nails, and Mariko glanced at him before grabbing a piece of cotton, and put some alcohol on it. After whispering an apology since she knew it was going to sting, Mariko lightly pressed the cotton against Ryu's wound before turning to Hayato.

"The best cousin I could have ever ask for." she beamed before pressing the cotton gently one last time against Ryu's wound before dropping it to the table beside her. Then, she put a band-aid over the wound before running the tip of her index finger through it, unaware of the look Ryu was giving her. "He's more like my older brother really."

"I have to go." Ryu spoke up when Mariko turned to Hayato to take care of his wounds, and the two young adults watched him standing up, "We'll talk tomorrow. Hayato, don't do anything impolite."

"You have no faith." Hayato said quoting Mariko, who smiled at Ryu when he looked at her.

"Be careful." Mariko advised, and Ryu nodded before walking towards the front door, but it was only when they were finally alone that Mariko turned to Hayato. "C'mon, let me check your wounds so that you can go home as well."

"Ah, with the others you took your time, and now you're rushing?" Hayato asked before shaking his head, and before Mariko could say something, he stood up. "Leave it then, I'll just go. If I rush, I'll still be able to catch Ryu."

"Don't be silly, I didn't mean it that way." Mariko quickly interjected as she raised both hands, and Hayato turned to her. "C'mon, you know that I was just kidding. Please, let me check your wounds. I'm going to feel awful if you leave like that."

"Fine, fine; then don't rush." Hayato pointed out before walking towards the sofa, and sat down, Mariko mimicking his actions in silence. "Say, what was Yamaguchi's relationship with Sawada? I mean, were they close or something?"

"I think…" Mariko trailed off when she moved closer to the boy to check the wound on his chin, and Hayato looked at her. "I think that to understand their bond, the best thing one can do is to watch them interacting."

* * *

On the next day, after a few comforting words from their math teacher, Tsuchiya, Omori, Kojima, and Hamaguchi managed to find the determination they needed to go to the Joyful Company again. For a moment everyone had believed that Tsuchiya was going to refuse to go when he revealed to be self-conscious about the wounds on his face, but when Kumiko advised him to tell the truth in case people asked him about what had happened, he had decided that he had to give it a try.

After the four boys had left the classroom to go to their interview, everybody had the feeling that the day went by slower than usual. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact they were all concerned about what could happen at Joyful Company, but no one had uttered a word about it.

Instead, they had spent the rest of math class talking about the future jobs everybody wanted. Not even once Kumiko had commented about what had happened on the previous day, instead she had simply walked towards Hayato, Ryu, Keita and Kosuke, and smiled at them.

They were, after all, her precious students, who had managed to make her proud of all of them.

As she watched her students talking among them about what they should do regarding the future, Kumiko found herself reminiscing about the past. Memories of her first class started emerging from the depths of her mind, and a melancholic smile quickly graced Kumiko's face.

She could still remember Minami telling her that he was going to night school and work at same time. She recalled Noba informing her that he was going to try to pass the Art College exam on the following year. For a moment she wondered if he had been successful, but her heart quickly told her that yes, Noba had been able to accomplish his dream.

Then there was Uchiyama, who had promised to take care of his mother while trying to accomplish his goals. Kuma, who was doing a terrific job watching over his father's business… And then there was Shin…

"_He told __me that he's coming back to Japan, soon."_

When those words unexpectedly echoed in her mind, Kumiko widened her eyes in shock. He was coming back! She had forgotten all about it, but Sawada Shin was coming back!

"Ah, what am I going to do?" Kumiko shouted suddenly, but she snapped back to reality when silence suddenly fell inside the classroom. For a moment, Kumiko simply stared at her quiet students before shaking her head. "I mean…what are _we_ going to do?"

"She was thinking about him, wasn't she?" Keita whispered to his friends, but only Hayato and Kosuke nodded in reply while Ryu watched their teacher in silence, "Does any of you know when Sawada is coming?"

"I asked Mariko yesterday, and she told me it will be soon." Hayato replied as he leaned his back against his chair, "She said something about Sawada wanting to make a surprise to Yamaguchi and I don't know what else. As if someone would want to surprise Yamaguchi…"

"Maybe they had something…" Kosuke trailed off, but this time it was Ryu who spoke.

"Kumai-san once said that Yamaguchi was their teacher three years ago; Sawada would be eighteen at the time." he pointed out, and his three friends turned to him. "Even though he was already off-age, I don't think Yamaguchi is the type of women who actually expects to find her companion among her students."

"That may be true, but this whole thing is kind of strange." Keita started still in a hushed tone, "Strange in the good way I guess, because…Yamaguchi was daydreaming just now, and she never daydreams unless she's thinking about some guy."

"Hum, do you think we should check this out?" Kosuke questioned, and even though Hayato opened his mouth to reply, Ryu was faster.

"I think you guys should let them be." he recommended in a slightly bored tone, "Whether they had more than just a teacher/student relationship or not, it's none of our business. So why don't you just drop it?"

"Because it would be cool to know one of Yamaguchi's secrets," Kosuke snickered, and both Hayato and Ryu exchanged a look at those words. "Besides, it wouldn't hurt, right? We're just curious, that's all."

"They say that curiosity killed the cat," Ryu pointed out, and Hayato suddenly patted him on his back at same time he smirked.

"C'mon Odagiri, stop being such a scared-cat, you're eighteen not eighty." he commented, and Ryu mentally asked what that had to do with anything. "And you know how cool it is to tease Yamaguchi. It feels nice to have the last word sometimes, don't you think?"

"Besides, it's harmless." Keita added, and both Kosuke and Hayato nodded at that while Ryu mentally sighed at same time he turned his head to glance at Kumiko. Sometimes he wondered how on earth they actually managed to get along…

After long hours locked up inside the school, both students and teachers were finally allowed to leave the school's domain, and go bath in the glow of the sunset. Even though she was eager to go home, and calm her thoughts down, Kumiko found herself walking close to the river along with Hitomi and Baba, listening as Hitomi spoke about the 3-D students.

"I'm impressed." Hitomi admitted, and both Kumiko and Baba turned their heads to look at her. "After seeing you and 3-D students…maybe I wasn't facing my students properly." a moment of silence, and Hitomi took a deep breath before continuing. "If I face them properly, the students will understand my intentions too, right?"

"Yes." Kumiko answered with a nod, "They will."

"I'll do my best!" Hitomi declared suddenly as she stepped forward so that she was now facing Kumiko, both her hands clasped in front of her chest as she smiled in determination. Baba, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly appeared next to Hitomi.

"I will do my best, too."

The three teachers suddenly started laughing at their enthusiasm when various voices chorused "Yankumi". In confusion, the three teachers looked at the path they had yet to walk, and saw Tsuchiya, Omori, Kojima, and Hamaguchi running towards them.

"Tsuchiya," Kumiko called out as she run towards her students as well, "You guys, how did your interview go?"

"For now, we did all we could." Tsuchiya answered, and Kumiko returned the smile her tallest student was offering her, but all of them looked to their sides when other voices chorused "Tsuchi".

Slowly, Kumiko looked behind her, and blinked when she saw her whole class running towards them. As she watched her students getting along, excited about the fact that the interview had went well, Kumiko stepped into the middle of the circle they had formed, a wide smile on her face.

"Okay guys," she started in order to have all of the attention, and everyone looked at her. "We will all graduate together!"

"YEAH!" everybody shouted animatedly, and as she watched her students celebrating, Kumiko allowed herself to forget about the fact that sooner or later she was going to face Sawada Shin again.

**To Be Continued…**


	6. About Our Paths

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot. Also, this is based on _Gokusen 2_, but characters from _Gokusen 1_ will be present in the story. So do not lose hope!

* * *

I want to thank **NausicA**, **Youko-Kuramas-Kitsune**, **cra-z-stephie**, **Azalie-Kauriu**, **KAT-TUN Lover**, **FS.Rain**, **blueprincess16**, **Domyouji Love** _and_ **Faith Slays** for all of your support and constant help. You guys are the reason why this fic is still going.

The idea for this chapter actually popped in my mind after I watched the third episode from _Nobuta Wo Produce._ I really enjoyed writing it, and I hope you like the surprises that I've prepared for you D

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**Chapter 5**

_About Our Paths_

Kumiko had truly never expected to see a day such as that one. At the beginning she had been extremely apprehensive about the whole thing (how could she not, with Head Teacher Sawatari threatening to expel her students in case something went wrong?), but now she somewhat felt confident about the whole thing.

At least, her students had cheerfully received the news about the upcoming event, and had inclusively started thinking out loud about possible things that they could do. Of course that most of their ideas were impossible to achieve, but still Kumiko was beginning to feel excited about the whole thing as well.

"Guys!" Kumiko called out as she raised her voice a bit so that everyone could hear her despite of the disorder, and she rested her hands against her small desk. "Accordingly to the Head Teacher, our class is the only one that hasn't decided about what we're going to do for the school festival."

"It's surprising that Sawatari actually told you to tell us about the festival." one of the students commented suddenly as everyone gradually started to calm down, and the rest of the class nodded in agreement.

"So, do we have freedom of choice?" another student asked suddenly, and Kumiko glanced at her students before allowing the corner of her lips to curl upwards in a wide smile.

"Well, first of all, we have to decide who the leader for the festival is going to be." Kumiko explained, and almost immediately, like a chain reaction, everybody looked at the back of the class where Hayato and the others were. "Yabuki, would you like to be the leader?"

"It depends," Hayato started uninterestedly as he looked up at Kumiko from his seat, "What does a leader have to do?"

"Well, you have to coordinate the class so that everyone has something to do to help out." Kumiko started as she walked around her podium, "You have to come up with the idea of what you guys are going to do in the festival, and tell us who's going to participate in it. Things like that."

There was a moment of silence, and everyone looked from Kumiko to Hayato. After a few seconds in perfect peace, the said boy stood up from his chair before resting the palm of his hands on the surface of his desk, his eyes scanning the whole class.

"Alright people, what do you want to do for the festival?"

Silence…

"C'mon guys, you were all screaming ideas a few minutes ago." Hayato complained in a somewhat tired tone, and his classmates immediately started glancing at each others. "Isn't there anything you guys want to do?"

"We could transform this classroom into a café or even a restaurant!" Okuma exclaimed suddenly even though his mouth was full due to the cake he was eating, but everyone quickly dismissed the idea.

"Ah, why don't you like it?" Kumiko quickly asked since she had found the idea quite interesting. "You guys do know that people from everywhere will come here, right? And that includes girls. A restaurant or a café could be a good idea to attract girls."

"Yeah, but none of us knows how to cook that well." Kosuke stated, and Kumiko blinked at his words. She was surrounded by twenty-three boys, and none of them knew how to cook?

Then again, she really was not someone who could actually show her shock at that…

"What if we ask a band to come here?" Keita asked suddenly, and as a reaction to that idea everyone started shouting the idea of bands, some of which Kumiko had never heard before. However, since that idea was not one that could be achieved, the math teacher quickly decided to step in.

"Guys, don't think about things you won't be able to do!" she advised as she raised her voice, but she regretted saying that when she noticed the way Hayato was looking at her. He was up to something; she could feel it in her bones.

"Then why don't you choose what we should do?" Hayato asked suddenly, and Kumiko blinked at his question. However, before she could try to come up with an idea, Tsuchiya stood up from his seat while holding a fan.

"What about a haunted house?" he asked with a sneaky expression on his face and Kumiko mentally groaned. She certainly did not like that idea! Anything that involved the paranormal world made her feel anxious and uneasy!

"Yeah! This way we can touch girls without them even noticing it!" Kosuke exclaimed excitedly, and the rest of the guys quickly started encouraging the idea. Kumiko, on the other hand, tried to gather their attention by waving her arms around.

"Wait! Why don't we follow Okuma's idea? We could even ask Kuma for some tips and all that." she reasoned, and silently Ryu glanced at her from his seat, next to Hayato.

"You aren't scared, are you?" he asked, and Kumiko mentally cringed. Ah! She hated that ability of his to read her like a book. Only Sawada Shin used to have that capacity, and that irritated her! "It's just a haunted house, you know?"

"I'm not scared!" Kumiko exclaimed in a very strong tone, but she immediately regretted answering so quickly when all of her students turned to her in silence. As she struggled to think of something to say, Kumiko licked her lips in nervousness. "I was just…showing that I support Okuma's idea, on contrary of the rest of you."

"That's it then!" Hayato shouted suddenly, and everyone turned to him, "We'll do a haunted house! Everyone lets start taking care of the scenery, and choose who the participants will be. We're going to make the best haunted house Kurogin Gakuen will ever have!"

"_YEAH!"_

* * *

On the contrary of what the whole school's staff was expecting, class 3-D was definitely the most motivated of all. Even though all students of that High School were animated about the upcoming school festival, 3-D students were the only ones who could be spotted scattered through the city in small groups, talking about their haunted house, or even taking care of the scenery.

Kumiko had almost dropped her chin in disbelief when she had heard that some of her students had inclusively asked their mothers to teach them how to stitch in order for them to know how to make the puppets they needed for the haunted house.

Even Head Teacher Sawatari had been caught off guard, and people could usually spot him spying on 3-D class at school. It was almost as if no one could believe that the 'trash' of their school was actually being serious about something for a change.

"Okay, so Tsuchi is going to be the vampire that shows up from behind the black curtain." Hayato started as he continued scribbling notes on the notepad he had on his lap, and Tsuchiya nodded. "Remember to wear all black so that people can't notice you that easily."

"And please refrain touching girls where you shouldn't." Ryu recommended from his seat before raising his drink to his lips. "After all, we don't want to give Sawatari any excuse to annoy us during or after the festival."

"Yosh! You can count on me!" Tsuchiya exclaimed before raising his own drink in the air, and then he turned to Keita, who was sitting next to him. "Take is going to be the zombie, right? What are you going to do?"

"Oh, I've asked for some make-up so that I'll paint my face. I also have the clothes ready." Keita answered with a sly grin playing on his lips, and he nudged Kosuke on his side, since he was sitting next to him. "Hyuuga and I will be the firsts to make an appearance. I'll be chasing people around while Kosuke will be dressed as a werewolf."

"Yep, I still don't know where I'll find the fur though." Kosuke spoke up with a small shrug, "I was thinking that perhaps it would be easier if I played a mummy or something. Bandages are easier to find, you know?"

"Well, if you can't find anything that can help you to become a werewolf, let me know." Hayato informed as he continued writing some parts of the conversation down, "I think we can try to add a mummy if things don't work out at the end."

"Hey, what are you and Ryu going to do?" Tsuchiya asked suddenly, and Hayato looked up at him before smiling.

"Well, I'm going to be in the centre of the room, playing the hangman." he explained, and his friends – except for Ryu – raised an eyebrow at his words. At the sight in front of him, Hayato rolled his eyes, and continued. "You know, I'm going to be the guy who's standing in the middle of the room, all alone, with my back turned to the guests. When they show up, I'll turn around, and flash a light upwards while I have a rope around my neck."

"Ah, are you going to use a chair for support?" Keita asked, and Hayato nodded, "Cool, but what about Ryu?"

"I'll talk care of the soundtrack." Ryu replied as he put his empty glass on the table before leaning against the back of his chair again, "You can't possibly think that a silent haunted house is enough to scare people nowadays."

"Yeah, yeah, just make sure you find some bloodcurdling songs." Tsuchiya answered as he raised a fan, and started waving it around. Then, he looked at the rest of his friends, and smirked. "You know, I heard that many girls will come to our school, especially girls from Momo Gokuen."

"I think I'm going to ask Maki-chan if she's coming to our high school." Keita commented suddenly, a dreamy look on his face, and his friends started snickering at his expression. "And I'll also ask her if she can bring some of her friends."

"Now that's a great idea!" Kosuke pointed out, and both Hayato and Tsuchiya nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, so now we have to start taking care of everything." Hayato started as he finally looked up from his notebook, "I was also thinking about forcing Yamaguchi to participate. She didn't look too excited about the haunted house, after all."

"I wonder if she's scared of that type of thing." Keita commented as he tapped a finger against his chin, and both Kosuke and Tsuchiya started snickering at the suggestion. Ryu, on the other hand, simply shook his head at his friends' antics.

All he hoped was that they did not get into any sort of trouble…

* * *

Even though they had had little time to transform their classroom into a haunted house (everyone believed that Head Teacher Sawatari had deliberately not informed Kumiko that they only had two weeks left until the school festival), class 3-D managed to overcome all obstacles.

After emptying their classroom, the students had started covering the walls and windows with pitch-black curtains. The puppets they had made were scattered around, in strategic spots, and those who were not very occupied were helping Momosuke taking care of the garments that were going to be used by the main characters.

Kumiko was quite excited about the whole thing, even though she was still a bit reluctant about the possibility of her having to enter inside the haunted house. She guessed that in order to witness her students being serious about something other than fighting was she would have to sacrifice something.

"Alright guys! Tomorrow's the big day!" Kumiko shouted animatedly, and all of her students turned to her in time to see her throwing a punch into the air. "Let's make sure this will be the best school festival ever! Let's do it!!"

"YEAH!" all of her students yelled at same time as they also threw punches into the air, and Kumiko smiled widely at them. Yes, it was indeed fantastic to see them all energized and eager.

Once at home, Kumiko had been greeted by Kouzou, Tetsu, and Minoru. Since she had been informing them about what her class was preparing, the three men did not waste any time in asking her about how everything was going. In fact even her grandfather, Oedo Family Third Generation Boss, Kuroda Ryuichiro, was beginning to feel animated about the whole thing as well.

"So, your students have finally found something that attracts them, eh?" Ryuichiro asked as he continued examining the green leaves of the plant in front of him, and Kumiko nodded with a small smile on her face. "That's good to know. It's nice to see that some things are not forgotten."

"Did you…ever go to a school festival?" Kumiko slowly asked as she continued sitting down on the tatami, watching her grandfather, who laughed lightly at her question. "I wish you could go see the haunted house."

"Oh, I'm sure everyone will have lots of fun." Ryuichiro answered as he turned to Kumiko, and revealed his smile, and his granddaughter nodded in silent agreement. "I believe this event will show to everyone how your students can be like all the others."

"Yes, I hope they will behave." Kumiko mumbled as she looked down for a moment, "But since these are my students, I know I can't lower my defences. Who knows what they may try to do while they're in the classroom."

"Well, it's all a matter of trusting, don't you agree?" Ryuichiro inquired as he slowly sat down beside the math teacher, his hands resting on his knees. "Kumiko, you always believe in your students. This is not the time to be different. They are young and impatient, allow them to make mistakes, but make sure you are always there to believe in what they say. After all, they are your precious students, are they not?"

At that, Kumiko nodded before glancing at the plant her grandfather had been observing before. As usual he was right; she trusted her students to keep their promises and to do their bests, and it was not a school festival that was going to alter everything.

* * *

The next day came quickly, especially for those who could not wait to get inside the haunted house, and hide in the shadows. Tsuchiya, the vampire, was dressed in a black tuxedo with fake teeth sticking out from underneath his upper lip. He had also managed to find black gloves in order to hide his hands, and Kumiko had to admit that once inside the dark haunted house, there was no way people could spot Tsuchiya.

Keita, thanks to a little help from his mother, had managed to paint his skin so that he now looked slightly greenish while fake wounds covered most of his face and hands. His clothes, tattered and filthy, looked perfect for someone who was supposed to play the zombie. Kosuke, on the other hand, had managed to find a fake bear and wig that he was now using in order to look like a werewolf. His clothes were pretty much like Keita's, and Momosuke had surprised everyone when he had showed up with special gloves for the werewolf. Thin threads had been stitched to the white gloves making it look like hairy hands.

Hayato, on the contrary, had surprised everyone by walking inside the school wearing his uniform. Inside of a bag, he had brought a thick rope since the black chair he was going to use for support was already in the middle of the classroom. He had a trail of fake blood streaming down his lip, his skin looking slightly greyish thanks to some make-up.

Even though she knew they were her students, Kumiko could not help but be impressed by everything they had done. Class 3-D had thought of everything, to the smallest of all details, and everything was simply perfect!

"Alright guys, the festival is going to open to public in five minutes. Let's go to our places." Hayato informed, and everyone nodded before walking inside the classroom, and quickly disappeared in the darkness.

"Aren't you going inside?" Ryu asked suddenly when he noticed that Kumiko standing in front of the door, and the teacher immediately turned her head to him. "You aren't scared about this, are you?"

"Who? Me? No! Of course not," Kumiko answered a tad too quickly, and she smiled at her student, who looked unconvinced. "I'm just going to stay outside, and make sure people go in all the time. What about you? I thought you were going to participate as well."

"I'm keeping an eye on the music." Ryu replied indifferently, and Kumiko stared at him for a moment before nodding. "Just make sure you stay out of the way, and don't push people away with your fear."

"Ah! I told you I wasn't scared!" Kumiko exclaimed, but Ryu simply turned his back to her, and walked towards desk just beside the door, in the hall, where a radio was. One of the 3-D students had come up with the idea of scattering amplifiers throughout the classroom while Ryu could stay outside, without bothering the guests. Needless to say that Ryu had accepted the idea without even blinking.

Just like Hayato had said, after five minutes of silence, the school was opened. The social interaction started as soon as the gates were opened, allowing for the crowd that was impatiently waiting outside to get in. It was amazing though, how despite of the reputation that chased 3-D, people actually seemed excited about visiting the haunted house.

For some reason, Kumiko could say that they had to thank the girls from Momo Girls Gakuen's that had showed up as soon as the gates were opened. Behind them, came many people, most likely family and friends, but when the first group of three girls walked inside of the haunted house, Kumiko felt her breath get stuck on her throat.

She wished…she hoped her students did not do anything stupid…

"Why are you looking so stiff?" Ryu asked suddenly as he pressed the _play_ button, and Kumiko closed her eyes when screams erupted from inside of the classroom close followed by an evil laugh. "You're not inside."

"I know. I'm just…making sure everything goes as planned." Kumiko answered after a short pause, but she winced when the girls that had walked inside of the classroom shouted again. "Do you think they're alright?"

"It's a haunted house," Ryu pointed out with a small nod, "People are supposed to scream like that."

"Yes, I know, but the thing is…" Kumiko turned her head to the side so that she could look at her student, but her eyes found a familiar form instead, not too far from her position. "Isn't that Mariko-chan?"

Slowly, Ryu looked to his side as well, and blinked when he spotted the girl walking through the hall, while trying to avoid bumping into those who appeared in front of her. Strangely, she was alone, and for a moment Ryu found himself wondering why she was all by herself when she was supposed to be interacting with other people.

"Oi! Mariko-chan!" Kumiko called out all of a sudden while waving a hand in the air, and the said girl looked up at her name. A smile graced her features as soon as she spotted who had called her, and Ryu noticed the girl increasing her pace as she walked towards them. "Hello, Mariko-chan! I didn't know you were coming! Did you come alone?"

"No, I came with some friends from school." the girl answered as she stopped close to Ryu, and smiled at him. "But they were so eager about visiting the haunted house that they just took off as soon as the festival was opened."

Screams came from inside of 3-D again, and Kumiko flinched as a reaction before smiling at Mariko.

"Would you like to come inside?" she asked, motioning towards the closed door with a hand, but instead of answering, Mariko glanced behind her. There was a long line of people who were patiently waiting for their turn, which started close to the 3-D classroom's door, and after a few seconds Mariko turned to Kumiko again before shaking her head.

"No, it's fine, I'm not a big fan of haunted houses anyway." she confessed before turning to Ryu, and smiled timidly at him. "Do you think it would be possible for us to talk for a minute? I need to ask you something…"

"Do you mind waiting a little bit?" Ryu asked, a hand resting over the radio he was looking out for, and Mariko shook her head. "It's just that I have to look after the music, making sure I stop when the girls leave the classroom, and I—"

"Ah Odagiri, don't be impolite, I'll watch over the radio!" Kumiko exclaimed suddenly before rushing to Mariko's side, a smile on her face, but Ryu stared at her with an expressionless mask on his face. "Besides, it can't be _that_ complicated. All I have to do is push _play _when the guests go in, and press _stop _when they come out."

"Which is a tough task for you," Ryu bluntly retorted, and Kumiko widened her eyes in indignity before closing her hands into tight fists. Ryu, on the other hand, simply glanced at Mariko. "Let's go. Yamaguchi, make sure you do press the buttons."

"Stop teasing your teacher!" Kumiko exclaimed in a high tone, but while everyone turned around to look at her in surprise, Ryu simply stood up form his chair, and grasped Mariko's upper-arm dragging her down the hall.

"What did you want to tell me?" Ryu asked when the two students stepped out of the building, but for a moment, Mariko was silent as she bit her lower lip in nervousness. "You know, I can't help you unless you talk."

A wave of giggles forced Mariko to look to her side, and widen her eyes in shock at what she saw. In confusion, Ryu gazed at the same direction, and noticed that a familiar group of girls were watching them from afar. They were the same girls he had caught taunting Mariko a long time ago.

"What's going on?" Ryu asked as he focused his attention on the girl that was standing next to him again, and he silently took in the way Mariko was holding a streak of her hair. For some reason, her hair looked slightly shorter from what he remembered…

"I…I need your help." Mariko started as she slowly tore her eyes away from the group of girls she had been watching to look at Ryu, who stuffed his hands inside his pants pockets. "I need to do something for Yankumi-san, but I can't do it alone."

"Yamaguchi? What do you want to do to her?" Ryu asked as he raised an eyebrow slightly, and he quickly noticed the pink shade that unhurriedly started conquering Mariko's cheeks. "I never thought you liked to play pranks."

"Eh? No, no, this isn't a prank!" Mariko quickly interjected as she raised both her hands slightly in the air, but Ryu simply continued staring suspiciously at her. "Honestly! I just…I just want to do something for her for a change, and…"

"Do something for her for a change?" Ryu repeated, this time allowing his confusion to emerge from the depths of his eyes, and Mariko looked at him only to nod in agreement. "Did she do something for you or something?"

"Actually, I just want to h—"

"Ah there you are, Z." a voice spoke suddenly, and the two students looked to their side only to see a tall young man, probably twenty-one year old, walking towards them. He was dressed in business black pants with a white buttoned shirt and a black tie. His black hair appeared to be untamed, which clashed with his outfit, and his brown eyes were twinkling with craftiness. "Hmm, is this your boyfriend?"

"N-No!"

"Ah, then why are you so red?" the man asked as he stopped next to Mariko, and touched her nose with the tip of his index-finger. "I mean, women only blush when they are facing a very embarrassing moment. Does your cousin know that you have found yourself a boyfriend?"

"Excuse me," Ryu stepped forward, and the man turned to him, a smirk on his face. "But who are you?"

"Ah, I see that Z here has kept us a secret." the man commented before glancing at Mariko, who blushed even harder under his stare. "Ah Z-chan, I'm sure you're cousin will be quite proud when he finds out that you've managed to complete what he asked you to."

"Hey, this isn't a mission impossible, you know?" Mariko asked suddenly, and the man laughed lightly at her resentful tone of voice before touching on the tip of her nose with his finger again. "What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you told me I was supposed to do this alone."

"Well, I was going to let you do this all by yourself, until I noticed the girls from your school." the man started, and Ryu raised an eyebrow slightly at the words. "I know how miserable you were after what they did to you, so I decided to show up. I guess I should have thought that your boyfriend would watch over you."

"Uchi-kun!" Mariko exclaimed sounding as embarrassed as she looked, and for a moment Ryu asked himself about why on earth he had agreed to leave his work for that. "I was just about to ask Ryu-kun if he could help us sneaking you inside of the haunted house!"

"What?" Ryu blurred out as he looked at Mariko, who turned to him before nodding. "You want to sneak who inside the haunted house?"

"That would be me." the man started as he also looked at Ryu, and raised a hand, his once sly smile now wider and far more honest. "My name is Uchiyama Haruhiko; I was on Yankumi's class, in Shirokin Gakuen. Even though I asked for Mariko to talk to you, I admit that I'm the one who needs your help."

"You're one of Yamaguchi's former students?" Ryu asked, and the man nodded in agreement, "And old friend of Sawada Shin as well, perhaps?"

"Indeed, and that's exactly why I'm here." Uchiyama started, and Ryu entitled his head slightly to the side as he waited for the young man to continue. "It's time to give fate a little push, but for that, I'm going to need your help as well as your friends."

**To Be Continued…**


	7. Our Shadows in the Dark

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot. Also, this is based on _Gokusen 2_, but characters from _Gokusen 1_ will be present in the story. So do not lose hope!

* * *

I want to thank **cra-z-stephie**, **Youko-Kuramas-Kitsune**, **Nouky** _and_ **blueprincess16** for everything. You guys (and those who are only reading this story) are the best!

I was really excited about this chapter, so I decided to post it as soon as possible. Hopefully you guys will think the same way. Also, some of you asked me if this was an episode from the drama; the answer is no. I left a note at the beginning of this story explaining that even though the plot was going to follow the drama, there would be some things that would be different and that new scenes would be added. I can only hope you enjoy this.

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**Chapter 6**

_Our Shadows in the Dark_

He seriously did not understand what was going on, and truth to be told, he had done an awful job when it came to step inside the haunted house, and drag his friends with him. Kumiko, not understanding what was going on, had tried to follow them, but Ryu had managed to persuade her by saying that they needed to take care of some "boys' troubles".

Since Kumiko had indeed stopped chasing them, Ryu guessed that she was now sulking, thinking that her students had decided to forget about their haunted house to chase some girls. But then again, that was probably the first time Ryu was actually thankful for his teacher's rare immaturity acts.

"Oi Ryu, what the hell are you doing?" Tsuchiya asked as he continued following his friend, "We have to go back. People will start leaving if they notice that the classroom is empty. We worked really hard to make this work."

"Yeah, so what do you think about not dragging us around, and actually explain what's going on?" Kosuke asked with a nod, but Ryu simply continued leading the way until the five students stepped inside an apparently empty classroom.

"What's going on?" Keita asked as he looked around, but Ryu simply pointed to the back of the classroom with his chin. In confusion, all of his friends gazed to that direction, and entitled their heads to their sides when they spotted Mariko there with a tall man.

"Okay, will someone spill the beans already?" Hayato asked in a voice that carried both irritation and annoyance, and the man standing next to Mariko chuckled at question before straightening up, since he had been leaning against the wall the whole time.

"Yep, you're definitely Yankumi's students." the man commented with a smirk, and Hayato rolled his eyes while Tsuchiya raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Do we know you?" Keita decided to ask, and the man walked towards them before shaking his head. However, before he could clarify what was going on, Ryu beat him to it, and quickly explained why he had dragged his friends to that unoccupied classroom.

As Ryu explained who the man was, and what he intended to do, Hayato glanced at Mariko, who had also approached the group. She occasionally glanced at the man beside her, who Ryu had explained to be Uchiyama Haruhiko, with a smile on her face.

"So, you need our help in order to sneak inside our haunted house?" Kosuke asked as he looked from Ryu to Uchiyama, who nodded in silent agreement. "Along with some other former students from Yamaguchi?" another nod," How do you expect us to drag Yamaguchi away from the classroom?"

"Now that she actually knows how to use the radio, she refuses to leave her task." Keita promptly added, and Uchiyama chuckled once again. "I don't think it will be easy to take her away from the haunted house."

"Well, we thought about it." Uchiyama started, and the students understood that he was referring to himself and his friends. "And since it's rather obvious that Yankumi hasn't changed one bit, I think that our plan will work smoothly."

"What do you have in mind?" Hayato suddenly asked, and Uchiyama smirked at him before motioning for the boys to gather up.

Moments later, the plan began.

* * *

"Man, I wonder what those guys are doing…" Kumiko mumbled to herself as she glanced at the line of students that were still waiting for the haunted house to open again. "If we lose customers, I'll make sure they'll regret ever thinking about leaving this place."

"Hum…Yankumi-san?" a voice called out and the teacher looked to her side only to see Mariko standing there. "May I talk to you for a second?"

"Mariko-chan! Do you know where Odagiri and the others are?" Kumiko asked back, ignoring what the girl had said. "They left without telling me where they were going, and everybody is getting quite annoyed for waiting for so long and…"

"Yankumi-san, please come with me to the haunted house." Mariko interrupted all of a sudden as she bowed, and Kumiko blinked in surprise at her actions. After glancing around, the teacher closed her fingers around Mariko's wrist, and pulled her away from the entrance of the haunted house so that their backs were turned to the long line of students and parents.

"Mariko-chan, can you keep a secret?" Kumiko asked in a hushed tone, and the girl looked at her before nodding. Slowly, Kumiko glanced over her shoulder, almost as if she was making sure no one was listening to her, and it was only after making sure they were alone that Kumiko glanced at Mariko again. "I can't go in there."

"Hum, are you scared about going to the haunted house?" Mariko asked confusedly, but she jumped in surprise when Kumiko suddenly slammed a hand against her mouth.

"Hush, don't say that so loud!" Kumiko hissed still pressing her hand against the girl's lips at same time she raised a finger, indicating that they were to speak in quiet tones. "It's not that I'm scared, I just…think it's wiser if I stay outside…making sure people continue to go in."

"But don't you think your students would be happy if they saw that you're willing to participate in the festival as well?" Mariko inquired when Kumiko dropped her hand, "I-I mean, I know you're a teacher, but isn't it your job to make sure your students are having fun as well?"

"Well, yes, but still…" Kumiko was about to glance over her shoulder when Mariko suddenly grasped her hand with both her hands, forcing the teacher to look at her.

"Please, Yankumi-san, I…I promised Hayato-san and Ryu-kun that I was going to see them, but…" the girl licked her lips in nervousness before taking a deep breath, "I don't like haunted houses that much, so please come with me."

"But…"

Nervously, Kumiko looked over her shoulder again, straight at the closed door. She truly did not fancy the idea of walking inside of her classroom; only heavens knew what her students would do as soon as they found out that it was her who was wandering around through the dark.

"Oi, I thought you were supposed to be watching over the classroom." a voice declared suddenly, and Kumiko let out a small yelp of surprise before looking to Mariko, and notice that Ryu was right beside the girl.

"Odagiri, don't do that!" Kumiko scolded as she rested a hand against her chest, "Man, always sneaking up on me…"

"I actually talked to Mariko when I arrived." Ryu commented as he rested his hands inside of his pants' pockets, and the girl next to him nodded in agreement. "It's your problem if you don't pay attention to your surroundings."

"Ryu-kun, is it possible for Yankumi-san to come to the haunted house with me?" Mariko asked after a few seconds in silence, and when Ryu nodded as a reply, Kumiko widened her eyes in surprise.

"Hey, wait, I'm your teacher, it's my job to make sure that—"

"Your students are having fun." Ryu finished as he looked at his educator, "Yamaguchi, you were the one who said we're supposed to enjoy this festival. How are you going to know if we're having fun if you don't participate in it like everybody else?"

"But that's because I…" Kumiko trailed off when she noticed that Mariko was looking down, and she mentally groaned. She was going to hate herself after all this… "Fine, I'll go, but just once!"

"Great, now go or people will start getting angry." Ryu replied before walking towards his seat, beside the desk where the radio was. "And please, try not to scream too loud. We're not in the mood to reach the end of the day with a massive migraine."

"Why you…" the end of Kumiko's threat faded into the air as soon as the teacher stepped through the door that lead to 3-D classroom, Mariko walking silently beside her. "Man, its pitch black in here…"

"Yankumi-san…" Mariko whispered as she grabbed the teacher's arm, and Kumiko glanced at the girl before noticing a small entrance not too far from them. It was low, which forced people to crawl, and for some reason, Kumiko could not help but wonder about what would happen as soon as she reached the other side…

"Yosh, I'll go ahead." Kumiko whispered, and she felt Mariko nod from beside her at same time she dropped her hand. After a deep breath, Kumiko fell to her knees, and started crawling towards the small door. Once she got there, she raised her right hand, and whispered, "Fight-oh!"

As soon as Kumiko started crawling, a spooky melody erupted from out of nowhere, and the teacher felt her heart skip a beat. It had started, and the worst was that there was no way she could just leave, and abandon Mariko.

Thin threads of…something were hanging on the other side of the entrance, and Kumiko closed her eyes as she felt the threats touch her exposed skin. Whatever her students had used, it was cold and sticky… Still with her eyes closed Kumiko stood up, and felt Mariko following her closely from behind.

"Yankumi-san…" Mariko whispered, and Kumiko stepped to her side in order to allow the girl to stand up from the floor. As soon as she did though, the intensity of the spooky song got even stronger, and it was then that Kumiko felt a warm breathe against her exposed neck.

"My precious…" a husky voice spoke from behind her, and Kumiko had to restrain herself from closing her hand into a fist and punch whoever was behind her. So, instead of a punch, Kumiko let out a scream that intensified when she felt invisible hands run down her arms.

"AH!" Mariko shouted suddenly, and Kumiko felt goosebumps conquering her limbs until she finally mustered enough strength to give a few steps forward. The invisible hands immediately left her arms, and without thinking about she was doing, she reached out for Mariko, and pulled the girl forward as well.

"W-What was that?" Mariko nervously asked, but Kumiko simply swallowed hard before grasping the girl's hand, and pull her forth as they walked.

Now, the song was nothing but a whisper that the black walls appeared to be murmuring…

Before Kumiko and Mariko knew it, they were on another part of the classroom, staring at a very hairy werewolf. Even though Kumiko knew who was playing the werewolf, she felt a scream making its way up her throat until she was forced to let it go. Without even thinking about what she was doing, Kumiko turned to her side, dragging Mariko with her, but this time both girls screamed when a zombie appeared from the darkness.

"This way!" Kumiko practically cried out as she pointed towards another door, and she mentally thanked for the fact that this time she did not have to crawl through it. She really did not fancy the idea of having the werewolf or the zombie touching her like the invisible hands from the beginning had done.

Since Kumiko was pretty much running towards the other door, she was forced to stop her tracks when she noticed a shadow in the middle of the dark. Mariko, who was being dragged everywhere, failed to notice that Kumiko had stopped, and consequently crashed into the teacher's back.

"W-What's that?" Kumiko asked as she pointed towards the silhouette, but she quickly regretted asking the question.

Slowly, the shadow swirled around, and both girls screamed when they saw a man with a rope around his neck, his head bending down. A blue light had emerged from out of nowhere, enlightening the man from the neck upwards, revealing the trail of blood that was escaping from his mouth.

"Seven mysteries of Shirokin Gakuen…" a husky voice started, and Kumiko yelped again since she had not been expecting for the spooky melody to be replaced by a haunting voice, "Number 3."

"W-What's that?" Mariko asked now grasping Kumiko's sleeve, but both women just continued staring at the hangman. It could not be him talking…that made no sense, but if it was not him, then who was talking?

"Over ten years ago…" the same voice continued, and Kumiko shifted closer to Mariko, both of them still staring at the hangman, "a student committed suicide in the second floor bathroom."

"'His ghost shows up.' a junior said. " a second voice started suddenly, and both girls let out a yelp of surprise since it seemed as if the voices were getting closer…it was almost as if the curtains were what was telling the tale…

"'Oh, that's just a rumour.' a senior replied" a third voice spoke suddenly, and both Kumiko and Mariko cowered a little bit when an evil laugh echoed through the darkness.

"But…" the first voice both girls had heard continued, and by now Kumiko was holding Mariko's arm while the female student was gripping the teacher's hand, "one day…the senior used the second floor bathroom, and was washing his hands." a small pause and both girls started patting in nervousness, "And…he looked up at the mirror…to find…"

"AHHHH!" Kumiko finally allowed the scream she had been holding ever since the voice had started speaking to abandon her body, and Mariko followed suit almost as a reaction to the shriek. However, Kumiko's scream was quickly muffled by a hand, and the teacher widened her eyes in horror when she felt a warm breath caress the side of her neck, her back leaning against a hard chest.

"Quiet!" a voice spoke suddenly, and even though all she wanted was to run away, Kumiko looked over her shoulder, and her eyes widened even more.

It…it was a ghost!

"Let go off me!" Kumiko suddenly yelled in her strong voice, and before someone could stop her, the teacher grasped the arm of the person who was holding her, and threw the person over her back. "Don't touch me!"

"Ah Yankumi, stop it!" a second voice exclaimed suddenly, and various footsteps started to be heard. However, since the spooky music was still playing, Kumiko was unable to restrain herself, and when a pair of invisible hands tried to grasp her shoulders, she immediately punched the shadow, a groan quickly following her hit.

"Ah, Yankumi-san, please, stop it!" Mariko begged as she rushed to the teacher's side, and a small snort followed her plead. In confusion, Kumiko stared at the hangman, and watched as Hayato jumped from the chair he was using for support, the light still hitting him on the chin.

"Damn Yamaguchi, I thought you knew better than to hit your own students like that." Hayato complained as he walked towards the person Kumiko had punched, and extended a hand forward. In confusion, Kumiko watched as a hand, covered by a black glove, accepted the help Hayato was offering, and her eyes widened once again when she noticed that she had just hit Tsuchiya.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry!" Kumiko apologized quickly, and she practically run to Tsuchiya's side as the boy continued caressing his chin, a mask of pain on his face. "What the hell were you thinking, sneaking up from behind me like that?"

"Man, don't blame me." Tsuchiya started before wincing when pain erupted from his chin, and Hayato turned to Kumiko before shaking his head. "I was just trying to make sure you did not kill someone since you were behaving all hysterically."

"I was not hysterical! You're the one who showed up from out of nowhere!" Kumiko disagreed with a small shake of her head, "You know that I hate when people show up behind me without any notice."

"Yankumi, Tsuchiya didn't sneak up on you." Keita started as he appeared next to his teacher along with Kosuke, who was holding a flashlight. At those words, Kumiko stared confusedly at her students until she heard Mariko gasp.

"Aniki!" she exclaimed suddenly before rushing to a spot behind Tsuchiya, and everyone watched her kneeling down, and tend the person who was groaning in pain on the floor. "Are you alright?"

"A-Aniki?" Kumiko stuttered as she looked at Mariko, but when the girl ignored her to help the person beside her to sit down on the floor, her mouth dropped in shock. Without any sort of warning, her eyes meet a pair of familiar orbs, and Kumiko felt as if someone had just punched her in the gut.

It…it could not be!

"Damn Yankumi, it's nice to see that some things just don't change." another voice observed suddenly, but before Kumiko could even try to force her brain to process any sort of information two other pair of familiar faces appeared next to Mariko and the man beside her.

They…they were…

"Sawada?!"

With a small smirk, the man that was now slowly sitting on the floor gazed at the math teacher, while the two other men continued standing beside Mariko. The same man unexpectedly surprised Kumiko with a small smile, and six words.

"It's nice seeing you again, Yankumi."

**To Be Continued…**


	8. The Truth Behind Our Silence

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot. Also, this is based on _Gokusen 2_, but characters from _Gokusen 1_ will be present in the story. So do not lose hope! Also, _Bleach _belongs to **Tite Kubo**.

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I want to thank **Nouky**, **cra-z-stephie**, **Youko-Kuramas-Kitsune**, **lhotshot83**, **NausicA**, **Azalie-Kauriu**, **KAT-TUN Lover**, **entity.unknown** _and_ **blueprincess16** for everything. You guys are awesome! Also, you guys seemed so excited about Shin's appearance that I thought that updating this fic today would be worthwhile. Not to mention that I was quite happy when most of you mentioned how much you enjoyed reading the part when Shin talks about the seven mysteries of Shirokin Gakuen. That was actually the reason why I came up with the chapter about the school's festival and the haunted house. I hope you enjoy this chapter!!

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**Chapter 7**

_The Truth Behind Our Silence_

That had been the most original meeting she had ever had the pleasure of witnessing. Actually, due to her cousin's confidence, she had been expecting to see Kumiko trying to strangle her former students, but instead, Kumiko had simply run to their sides, and started ruffling their hairs, taking the chance that they were all bending down.

Kumiko had inclusively tried to ruffle her own hair, but she had managed to use Hayato as a shield by hiding behind his back. Besides that, Kumiko quickly revealed to be a bit pleased by her current students' behaviour; according to her, she had never expected to see her former students getting together with her current ones in order to surprise her.

Ah, but Mariko had to admit that the plan had been worthwhile. Even though Kumiko had thrown Shin over her back due to a sudden adrenaline rush, and had punched Tsuchiya on his chin, Mariko could say that things had ended quite well.

Perhaps that was why all of them were currently eating at Kumai's restaurant, with the owner of the restaurant also sitting with them. At the beginning, the whole group had participated in the conversation, but one-by-one, everyone quieted down until only Yamaguchi Kumiko, Sawada Shin, Uchiyama Haruhiko, Noda Takeshi and Kumai Teruo were chatting.

It was curious though, how despite of the fact that three and half years had already passed since the last time they had been together, the old group seemed to have intermingled instantaneously. Moreover it was funny to watch the meeting, because Kumiko was persistently talking, barely allowing her former students to answer the questions she kept asking them.

However, while the old group appeared to be participating in a party, Kumiko's current students were spending their time eating and watching how the adults interacted. Tsuchiya and Kosuke would comment about something here and there, and Keita always ended up agreeing with them, but both Hayato and Ryu were simply watching their teacher laughing along with her former students.

Mariko, on the other hand, could not help but smile as she watched her cousin observing as Kumiko laughed at something that Noda had said. She knew that her cousin wished he could express something else other than admiration towards his old teacher, but she was also aware that Shin did not know how to do it either.

"_There was this one time when she said that she would always be our teacher. And I told her she would be a homeroom teacher forever."_

Mariko could remember her cousin's words quite well, and for a moment she glanced down at her ramen before gazing at Shin again. During the short seconds she had wasted to look at her food, Shin had returned to his 'thinking pose'; his chin was resting on his right hand, his index finger resting just below his lower lip as he continued to watch Kumiko talking with his deep eyes.

And for a moment Mariko asked herself how it was possible for Kumiko not to notice the way Shin was staring at her.

"Okay, I think it's time for us to go." Tsuchiya announced suddenly, and everyone looked at him when he stood up from his seat. "Yamaguchi, thank you for this wonderful meal, but we really have to go now."

"Unless you want to lecture us tomorrow for being late," Kosuke added as he also mimicked his friend's actions, but Kumiko simply entitled her head to her side while Mariko glanced down at her watch. She did not understand why they were in such a rush; it was only eight in the night.

"Yeah, I need to go too. After all, _someone_ gave us homework even though it was the school festival." Keita commented suddenly as he also got up from his chair, and then he smiled at Kumiko, "Thank you for the meal."

"Yeah, make sure you pay ours too." Tsuchiya laughed, but when he noticed that Kumiko was about to retort he raised his fan in front of his face, "After all, who invites has every right to pay the bill."

"Why you…" Kumiko growled under her breath as she watched her three students leave the restaurant, and Mariko took the opportunity to gaze at both Hayato and Ryu; both of them looked rather bored as well.

"Well, I guess this is my cue." Mariko spoke up as she gradually stood up from her chair, and everyone turned at her. "Thank you so much for treating me, Yankumi-san, and please, look after my cousin."

"Tsk, what am I? A kid?" Shin hissed as he looked to his side, but when he glanced at Mariko again, he shook his head slightly at her small smile. "Make sure you go straight to our house, and no listening to music at this hour."

"Actually, why don't Yabuki and Odagiri accompany her?" Kumiko asked suddenly, and her said students stared at her, "I mean, it's not safe for Mariko to wander around, and you two don't look like you have something important to do at the moment."

"Stop assuming things." Ryu mumbled as he looked away from his teacher with a sigh, but he ended up gazing at Mariko, who was still standing, across from his position. "But whatever, I have to go anyway."

"And I guess I can always go with them." Hayato stated before getting up to his feet, and slowly he raised two fingers only to make bunny ears at Kumiko. "Thanks for the meal, Yamaguchi, and we'll see you at school."

"What? Wait!" Kumiko shouted, but Hayato ignored her as he reached out for Mariko's wrist, and started dragging the girl out of the restaurant. Mariko only had time to hastily thank Kumiko while Ryu followed his two friends in silence. "Man, those two…"

"Nice to see that some things just don't change," Noda smirked, and Kumiko looked at him only to narrow her eyes slightly at his amused voice, "But anyway, what do you say if we start talking seriously now?"

"After all this, I don't know if I'm in the mood to switch back to my working mode." Uchiyama confessed as he leaned against the back of his chair, and sighed. "But I guess that some things just cannot be helped."

"What do you mean you want to start talking seriously now?" Kumiko asked as she looked at her two former students in confusion while Kumai stood up when a customer requested for his presence. Shin, who had been listening to his friends in silence, rested his chin on his hand again as he glanced at Kumiko through the corner of his eyes.

"We just thought you'd be interested in knowing what forced the three of us to gather up so suddenly." he stated, still in the same position, and Kumiko turned her head to him. "You didn't really think I came all the way from Africa just to have a nice dinner with you, did you?"

"No, of course not," Kumiko quickly muttered, but she looked down when she felt her cheeks warming up. With a small shake of his head, Shin looked at Uchiyama and Noda, who were sitting across from him, and decided to continue.

"We actually decided to get together to form a company." he elaborated, and Kumiko looked up at him again even though she could still feel her face getting warmer. "We decided to try, and do something to help those in need. It was the only thing we could think of in order to follow your own footsteps."

"Eh? I'm afraid I don't understand what you're saying," Kumiko confessed, looking slightly befuddled about what Shin had just said, and Uchiyama rested both his arms on the table as he looked at his teacher, a small smile on his face.

"What Shin is trying to say is that we want to help others just like you helped us."

On the meantime, Hayato, Ryu and Mariko were walking down a rather crowded street. None of them were speaking, which allowed the three of them to meditate about different things. However, everything changed when both Hayato and Ryu suddenly turned on a corner, and noticed that Mariko was not following them.

After exchanging a look, the two boys turned around and stopped by the corner only to notice that Mariko was staring at the open doors of a movie theatre. This time, though, they did not look at each other before they approached the girl at same time.

"What are you doing?" Hayato asked as they finally reached Mariko's side, "Your house is that way, and we all heard what your cousin said. You're to go straight home, which means, no stopping to watch a movie or whatsoever."

"Actually, I don't want to go home just yet." Mariko admitted as she looked at Hayato, who raised an eyebrow at her confession. "You see, I know Shin will most likely end up taking Yankumi-san to his apartment, and I don't really want to be there when that happens."

"Do you mind explaining why?" Ryu inquired, and Mariko chuckled before looking at him.

"Because I know how much Shin wants to spend some time with Yankumi-san." she declared, and both boys blinked at her explanation. "It's true that he will never admit it, but I really want them to spend some time together, alone. Besides, I haven't watched a movie for quite some time, and it is a nice way to spend some time, so…"

"Alright, alright, what movie do you want to watch?" Hayato questioned abruptly, and when Mariko sent him a confused look, he sighed. "You heard Yamaguchi; we are supposed to take you home, which means you have to bear with us until that happens."

"B-But I can't ask for you to stay with me." Mariko started still with a troubled expression on her face. "You have classes in the morning, and Keita-san said that you had homework to do. You don't need to stay with me."

"Don't be stupid, we're not going to leave you alone, and that's final." Hayato retorted as he stuffed his hands inside his pants' pockets, and Mariko looked from him to Ryu, most likely expecting that at least he would agree with her.

Boy, wasn't she wrong?

"I don't know about Hayato, but I don't have anything to do once I get home." Ryu started, his face not expressing anything except boredom, but he quickly started glancing around while Mariko continued to stare at him. "Besides, I haven't watched a movie for quite some time as well."

"B-But…"

"Okay, shall we see a horror movie?" Hayato inquired suddenly, and Mariko immediately made a face. "Okay, okay, horror movie is a bad idea. Just make sure we won't be forced to watch two hours of soppy and mushy stuff."

"I'm not a big fan of romance movies, if that's what you're trying to say." Mariko commented as she looked at Hayato, "I like all sort of movies, except horror and romance. So…do you think we'll be able to choose one that we're all going to like?"

"Do you like anime?" Ryu asked out of the blue, and Mariko turned to him only to notice that he was staring at a poster just in front of him. In silence, she glanced at the same poster, and blinked when she noticed the name: _Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion Mō Hitotsu no Hyōrinmaru._

"That's…Bleach, right?" Mariko slowly asked as she gazed at Ryu again, "From Tite Kubo?"

"Oh yeah, a very nice anime," Hayato observed suddenly, and Mariko looked at him, "I haven't had the opportunity to watch it yet. What do you say? Shall I go buy the tickets? We still have two sessions, and the next one will start in less than forty minutes."

"Okay, I guess we could go watch that." Mariko answered while Ryu kept silent, but when she was about to enter inside the movie theatre, Hayato stopped her by resting a hand on her upper-arm. "What is he doing?"

"Who knows?" Ryu replied with a small shrug when Hayato walked through the open doors of the movie theatre alone, but he decided to continue. "I'm going to buy something to drink. Can I get you anything?"

"Water would be nice, but let me give you the money." Mariko started as she reached out for her black bag, but when she saw a hand close to her bag, she raised her eyes to gaze at Ryu, who was looking to his side.

"You'll pay me later." he mumbled, and before Mariko could stop him, he went after Hayato.

For a moment, Mariko just stood outside, too flabbergasted by the boys' actions to even command her legs to go after Ryu. When she finally abandoned her trance, Mariko mentally sighed, but before she knew it, the corners of her lips were curling upwards. Who knew that such boys, who enjoyed looking all rebelled, had such an adorable side?

"Where are you looking at?" a voice asked suddenly right when Mariko was about to go after the two students from Kurogin Gakuen, and slowly she looked to her side. When she spotted who had spoken, Mariko felt her breathe get stuck on her throat.

It was them…

"Hey, I asked you a question!" Fumiko Akemi shouted suddenly, and Mariko silently watched as the girl's group continued taunting another girl; a junior high student Mariko could tell, due to the younger girl's uniform. "What are you? Deaf?"

Before she knew what she was doing, Mariko walked towards the group of girls from her own school, but she increased her speed when the junior suddenly crashed against a bench in fear. She did not know what she was going to do, but she certainly had to do something about it.

"Akemi, stop it!" Mariko heard herself demand, and slowly the group of girls looked away from the junior to gaze at her. For a moment, Mariko felt herself raise her right hand, but managed to stop herself in time; there was no way she was going to back down. She could not run away…not even if she wanted to.

"Oh, look who decided to show up." Akemi said with a smile on her face, and her friends smirked, "Ah, nice hairstyle by the way. Mind telling me who cut your hair like that? I mean, it looks so in."

"Leave that girl alone, Akemi." Mariko spoke as she stopped her tracks, and the leader of the group glanced at the junior, who was now kneeling on the sidewalk before gazing at her. "She didn't do anything to you."

"I don't know how you can say that. I mean, did you watch the whole thing?" Akemi asked before resting her index finger against her cheek, "Well, even if you did, what makes you think I'm going to listen to you? You can hardly stand up for yourself."

"Just let her go." Mariko repeated, and Akemi glanced at her friends, who shrugged, before making her way towards Mariko. She moved elegantly, almost like a model, Mariko noticed, but her eyes were glittering with what appeared to be slyness.

"Snip snip." Akemi whispered suddenly when she reached Mariko's side at same time she moved her fingers, mimicking the motion of a scissor, and despite of everything, Mariko felt a shiver run down her spine. "Here's the deal; we let the junior go, but you have to give us something in return."

"Your curls will be enough," Junko Yoshie laughed, and even though she could feel her heart beating painfully against her rib cage, Mariko tried her best to keep her fear hidden underneath her skin. "Ne, Akemi, don't you find it lucky that I just happen to have a scissor in my bag?"

"You do? Oh, how fortunate," Akemi answered with fake surprise, and Mariko swallowed heavily as she watched Yoshie reaching out for her bag, and moments later, she handed a scissor to Akemi. "Now, Sawada, do we have a deal?"

For a second, Mariko allowed herself to glance at the junior, who was nervously grasping her bag against her chest. Then, she looked at Akemi, and nodded. Fear was already consuming her veins, her heartbeat speeding up as she watched Akemi walking closer to her, but Mariko simply took a deep breath.

She had to calm down. She just had to calm down…

"I want you to look that way," Akemi instructed suddenly, and Mariko glanced at her only to see that the girl was pointing to her left. "And I want you to pretend you're talking to my friends. We can't possibly create a scandal in the middle of the street, don't you think?"

Finally allowing some of her fear to conquer her face, Mariko closed her eyes, and nodded before turning her head to her side. The rest of the girls immediately surrounded them, and Mariko felt her breath get stuck on her throat again when she felt Akemi grab a lock of her hair.

When she felt Akemi run her fingers through a curl, Mariko found herself thinking about how disappointed her cousin would be if he discovered that she was a weakling.

"Say sayonara." Akemi whispered, and Mariko closed her right hand into a fist when she felt the scissor touch her hair, "Because now you'll have a boy's haircut."

Laughter suddenly erupted from around her, but Mariko simply refused to open her eyes. She could hear the girls talk about something, but all the words appeared to be muffled and most of them not even made sense. It was almost as if she was drowning…drowning in the grave she had dug for herself…

"Oi, what are you doing?"

All that followed that question was silence. It was so quiet that Mariko could swear that instead of getting buried, she had dived into the ocean. It was almost as if there was nothing around her, and for a second Mariko wondered if relief was doing that to her.

"You get away from her."

"Oh look, she has two princes in shinning armour instead of just one." Akemi observed suddenly, and Mariko felt the girls move backwards. "And both are from Kurogin; damn Sawada, you really enjoy being around losers."

"Just leave," Ryu's calm voice was enough for Mariko to open her eyes, and she looked around her only to see that the girls from her school were already walking away. Anxiety finally kicked in, and Mariko started glancing around only to feel hear heart skipping a beat when she spotted Ryu and Hayato.

For a moment she could swear that all of her strength had been blown away by a winter's breeze.

"Are you okay?" Hayato asked suddenly, and as she mentally screamed to herself to leave her trance, Mariko finally looked away from Ryu's eyes to glance at the other boy. "What the hell was that all about?"

"N-Nothing. That was nothing." Mariko answered, though she mentally cringed at her nervous tone. Suddenly, she recalled why she had faced Akemi and her gang, and looked at the junior who was still sitting on the sidewalk. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, thank you." the girl answered, and Mariko helped her to stand up. "I was just looking at them, and then the girl who tried to cut your hair started screaming at me. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay, don't worry." Mariko interrupted with a small smile, "I'm just glad you're alright. I have to go now, though, so go safely okay?"

"Thank you again." the girl thanked as she also returned the smile, and then she spun around before running away. As her smile slowly vanished, Mariko watched the junior disappearing in the middle of the crowd before she was forced to turn around when someone cleared his throat.

"I don't know what happened, but you are going to tell me." Hayato stated suddenly while Ryu simply continued watching Mariko, who smiled faintly at the two of them before shaking her head.

"It doesn't matter right now." the girl answered as she started walking towards the two boys, and before she knew what she was doing, she entwined her arms with theirs. "Right now I can't wait to see Tōshirō-kun so, let's go!"

* * *

"A corporation that will help those in need, eh?" Kumiko asked in a hushed tone as she looked up from the tea she was preparing, a small smile on her face. "I truly never thought my students would get together to do such a thing."

"Don't think so low of us." a male voice commented suddenly, and Kumiko spun around on her heels only to yelp in surprise when she noticed that Shin was standing just behind her. "We decided to do this when we realised how difficult life is in Africa."

"Still, to decide such a thing…" Kumiko mumbled before turning her back to Shin, and she quickly pretended to be busy by checking the water that was still boiling. "I just find it amazing how you guys decided to stick together to do it, that's all."

"And why wouldn't we?" Shin asked, but Kumiko simply glanced furtively at him over her shoulder before focusing her attention on the boiling water again. "Uchi is getting closer to become a successful architect, and Noda has outstanding ideas when it comes to art. They have already come up with various ideas for schools and even an orphanage."

"And you even asked Kuma if he wanted to learn how to prepare other dishes so that, in the future, he could think about going to Africa once in a while." Kumiko added, and she felt Shin nod from behind her. "I'm just proud of all of you. I'm really happy to know that even though you guys didn't speak that much with each others during these past three years and half, you're still close as always."

"Who said anything about not keeping contact?" Shin asked, and Kumiko immediately twirled around to face him, her eyes wide opened. "You were the one who did a terrible job trying to keep contact with us."

"Hey, wait a minute, how was I supposed to know you guys still talked to each others?" Kumiko asked indignantly, and Shin looked away, a smirk on his face. He ended up looking at his old teacher again, though, when Kumiko poked him on the chest with a finger. "You could have called. Two people are required for contact to be made, you know? Haven't I taught you anything?"

"I went to Africa; I believe that's already enough." Shin pointed out, and Kumiko crossed her arms against her chest in irritation. When she was about to retort, however, Kumiko felt her mind go blank when Shin reached forward, his chest resting against her left side as he turned the stove off. "Just make sure the tea is ready. I believe you can do that?"

"Hey! My cooking has improved greatly, thank you very much!" Kumiko exclaimed resentfully, but Shin simply straightened up again, revealing his smirk. Once again, Kumiko felt her mind go blank, but this time a shiver running down her spine followed her silence.

"But you know, Yankumi," Shin started as he sat down on the floor, and watched his old teacher approach him while holding two cups of tea, "We have talked a lot about me and the guys, but you haven't said anything about you; how's everything going?"

"Oh, everything's fine, the guys from Kurogin kind of remind me of you and your classmates." Kumiko started with a smile, and she handed Shin his cup before sitting down on the floor as well, a small glass table separating them. "They are troublemakers just like you used to be."

"Some things just don't change." Shin commented before raising his cup to his lips, and he silently took a long sip. "Has anyone figured out your past?"

"Why yes, Yabuki and Odagiri found out by accident." Kumiko answered as she looked down with a smile, but her face grew hesitant as she gazed up at Shin again, who was watching her with an amused expression on her face. "Ah! Don't look at me like that! This time it wasn't my fault."

"In one way or another, I'm sure you're to blame." Shin stated, and Kumiko dropped her mouth before narrowing her eyes. "And have you found yourself a husband yet?"

"Ah no, but there is someone…" Kumiko trailed off as she glanced at the ceiling, and a dreamy sigh abandoned her lips. "Aww, Kujo-san…I haven't seen him for a while, but he's a teacher like me, so I'm sure that it was fate that drew us together."

"Fate, huh?" Shin repeated as he put his cup on the table, and Kumiko snapped from her reverie to look at him, and nod. "Are you serious about him?"

"Well, I don't know, but I would love to know him better," Kumiko confessed before raising a hand to her mouth when a giggle escaped from her lips, "I think you'd like him, too. He's a very gentle soul."

"I hardly believe what you need is a gentle soul." Shin mumbled before grabbing his cup again, and he took another long sip, "But yes, I'd like to meet him. After all, I must make sure my homeroom teacher marries a decent guy."

"Why yes, yo—" Kumiko stopped talking when her brain finally processed the words, and she immediately looked at Shin with a surprised face. "Wait! What's that all about? Since when do I need your blessing?"

"I think the answer to that question is rather simple," Shin started calmly, but for some reason Kumiko started feeling rather uneasy with the way he was staring at her. It was almost as if he was looking past her body right into her soul. "It became my business as soon as I stopped being your student. And you better understand that ever since I left Shirokin Gakuen, I became more than just a rebellious teenager."

**To Be Continued…**


	9. Heavenly Teardrops

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot. Also, this is based on _Gokusen 2_, but characters from _Gokusen 1_ will be present in the story.

* * *

I want to thank **cra-z-stephie**, **NausicA**, **entity.unknown**, **blueprincess16**, **KAT-TUN Lover** _and_ **Faith Slays** for everything. I'm very happy to know you guys are enjoying this fic so far. Thank you for all of your support. I mean it. Also, I've decided to try to write a sequel to this story. I've already started it, and I can only hope I'll be able to finish it. Wish me luck, and please, enjoy the chapter!

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**Chapter 8**

_Heavenly Teardrops_

It came out as a surprise when, after spending a nice time watching a movie and allowing Hayato to drag them to the arcade game, to reach the front door, and notice that it was raining. Unfortunately it were not mizzles what was falling from the sky, instead, it seemed as if nature had finally decided to reveal how winter was still present, and was now blessing the earth with a rainstorm. The wind was bitter too, as it continued to blow from north with such power that some people were even forced to let go off their umbrellas, and watch them fly away before rushing towards the closest shelter.

The fact that it was becoming quite late was also inopportune, and everyone knew that it was time to go home. The journey, however, was quite hard to start, first because of the harsh weather, and secondly because both Hayato and Ryu were not sure of what to do. It was true that they could call for two taxis, and go home, but truth was that, even though they refused to admit it out loud, they wanted to make sure that Mariko went home safely.

The problem was that there was no way they could be sure of that without accompanying the girl. The rainstorm, however, indicated that if one person was indeed to leave the shelter he had found, then he would have to go straight home because that night was going to be very long and aggressive.

"This sucks…" Mariko mumbled under her breath, and both boys nodded in silent agreement, "But we can't wait any longer. This probably will continue all night long, so…where do you guys think we could catch a taxi?"

"There's no way we're going to tell the taxi-driver to wander around through the city with this weather." Hayato immediately stated, and his two friends turned to him, "Besides, you live too far from us, and in case you don't remember, we told Yamaguchi and consequently your cousin that we'd look after you."

"Hey, stop treating me as if I'm a child." Mariko scolded, looking a bit irritated, but Hayato simply shrugged in reply. "Besides, you guys have kept your promise; you have watched over me all this time even though you didn't have to. All I need is a taxi, and then I'll go by myself."

"I don't think you understood what I just said, Mariko." Hayato started as he stuffed his hands inside his pants' pockets, and Ryu took the cue to step backwards, and turn his back to his friends. "When 3-D makes a promise, we don't break it just because of the weather. We keep it no matter what."

"The taxi is on its way." Ryu announced suddenly as he appeared beside Mariko again, holding his cell-phone, and the girl sent him a confused look.

"The taxi?" she repeated, and when Ryu nodded, Mariko glanced at Hayato, who shrugged before focusing her attention on Ryu again. "Why didn't you call for two taxis? I'd go in one, and you guys would go on the other one."

"Man, you just don't get it, huh?" Hayato questioned suddenly, and Mariko turned to him, "We promised we'd make sure you'd be safe until you got home. The weather may have decided to be troublesome, but there's no way we're going to let you be alone."

"I think you're exaggerating." Mariko pointed out as she crossed her arms against her chest, "Besides, I have to go home, and so do you. We can't stay here all night."

"And that is exactly why you're going to spend the night at Ryu's." Hayato answered in a laid-back manner, and Mariko blinked at his words. "I'd take you to my house, but it's a humble apartment not to mention that I live with my crazy father and younger brother."

"Wait, wait, wait, you can't possibly be serious." Mariko started as she raised her hands in the air, in front of her chest. Quickly, she turned to Ryu, who was watching her in silence. "I have no idea how you guys managed to find the time to plan all this, but you know there's no need for me to go to your house."

"Don't you know that it's rude to refuse an invitation like this?" Hayato asked, and Mariko glanced at him. "Besides, Ryu has a huge propriety, and he lives with his parents. We both know you'll be fine there."

"That's not the point." Mariko promptly interjected before turning to Ryu again, "I really appreciate the gesture, I really do, but please just call for a second taxi, and I'll go home by myself. There's no need to importunate your parents because of this. Not to mention my cousin!"

"Hello? Yamaguchi?" Mariko heard Hayato say from behind her, and she looked at the boy only to widen her eyes in shock when she noticed he was talking on the phone. "No, I'm not at home yet, but don't you dare to lecture me. Just tell me; are you with Sawada Shin?" a moment of silence, and Mariko gazed at Ryu, who simply looked back at her. "You know what? Never mind; I know you are with him, so do you mind telling him that Mariko is going to spend the night at Ryu's? The weather is too horrible, and we don't want to leave her by herself. Bye."

"Ah, wait!" Mariko exclaimed when she heard the goodbye, but Hayato simply smirked at her before hanging up, and the girl immediately closed her right hand into a fist. "Why did you do that?"

"Never mind that now, the problem's solved." Hayato answered before glancing at Ryu, but he quickly focused his attention on Mariko again. "Now nothing's stopping you from accepting Ryu's offer."

* * *

Without drawing too much attention to herself, Kumiko glanced at the male who was sitting on the sofa next to her, completely focused on the book he was reading. He still had the same habit of resting his chin comfortably on the back of his right hand as he continued reading the words written neatly on the white pages of the book, his eyes occasionally widening slightly whenever he read something surprising or unexpected.

However, as soon as she noticed that she was staring, Kumiko forced herself to look down at same time she rested her closed hands on her knees. She had absolutely no idea why she was staring at Shin that much, but she guessed that it had something to do with the fact that three years and half had passed ever since she had last seen him.

And truth to be told, Shin, Noda and Uchiyama had truly become successful and attractive young men. Sure that Kumiko knew it was rather foolish of her to actually notice that, but it was not as if she could help it. It was true that they would always be her students, but they were also from the opposite gender, and eye-catching.

When she finally understood that she was thinking about her students as being everything except in fact her former students, Kumiko immediately kicked herself in her mind. She definitely was not supposed to be thinking about such things! Besides, she had Kujo to think of!

"Can you stop that?" Shin asked suddenly, and Kumiko snapped from her turmoil of thoughts only to notice that somehow she had ended up staring at the young man again. Good lord, why was she behaving like a teenager? "You should know that it's impolite to stare, especially when you're not even bothering to hide it."

"I-I wasn't staring!" Kumiko stuttered as she looked away, and Shin glanced sideways at her before shaking his head slightly. Then, without saying a word, he focused his attention on his book again, while Kumiko mentally scolded herself for not being careful enough.

But wait, why did she have to be careful anyway?

"Shouldn't you go home?" Shin questioned suddenly as he turned a page, and Kumiko gazed at him, this time taking in the elegant way he was crossing his legs before mentally slapping herself once again. "You do have classes tomorrow, right?"

"You're kicking me out?" Kumiko asked as she widened her eyes in surprise at same time she pointed at herself "Me? A lady? Have you actually noticed how hard it's raining? Do you want me to catch a cold or something?"

"First, you're not a lady," Shin pointed out, and Kumiko's eyes widened even more due to the sudden shock, and Shin finally raised his eyes from the book, "Secondly, you are free to stay here if you want, but do you think you have what it takes?"

"Of course, I have what it takes to stay here, besides, Mariko-chan is coming soon so—" Kumiko stopped herself when she recalled Hayato's words.

"_Never mind; I know you are with him, so do you mind telling him that Mariko is going to spend the night at Ryu's? The weather is too horrible, and we don't want to leave her by herself. Bye."_

Ah damn it!

"Hum…actually, I think it will be better if I just…go…" Kumiko slowly mumbled, and Shin smirked at her before focusing his attention on his book again. "Err do you think we can…meet up later or something?"

"I might be busy."

Kumiko could not help but twitch at that straightforward reply. As she took a deep breath, Kumiko stood up from the sofa, and turned to Shin before trying to fulminate him with the deadliest glare she could muster. Needless to say that Shin simply continued reading his book without allowing one single emotion to cross his face.

"Fine, if you don't want me to come, then I'll…I'll…" Kumiko trailed off, and Shin glanced at her, probably expecting to hear the rest of the threat. When Kumiko did not continue, he simply turned his attention to his book again. "Ah, why do you have to be so difficult?"

"I'm afraid there's no reason to be so angry, I merely stated the truth." Shin replied calmly, which only served to anger Kumiko, who closed her fists though she did not even know why she was behaving like that. Perhaps it had something to do with the way Shin seemed to always manage to get to her?

"Fine, either way do you think you can go to my house one of these days?" Kumiko asked before she could stop herself, and Shin looked up at her. "Grandpa will be delighted to see you again. Please, go visit him in the future."

"Don't worry, I was going to visit him whenever you wanted it or not." Shin replied as he turned another page, and once again Kumiko was forced to take a deep breath as she tried to stop herself from jumping at him and strangle him. "Just make sure you don't get soaked."

"Eh?" Kumiko asked taken back by the sudden change of subject, but the corner of her lips curled upwards as soon as her brain processed the information, "Ah-ah! So you _do_ care about me and my health!"

"I just don't want you nagging me if you get sick, that's all." Shin deadpanned, and Kumiko looked away, irritated by his reply. Unhurriedly, Shin closed his book, and put it on the sofa, next to him, before standing up. "I'll walk you to the door."

"You know what, Sawada?" Kumiko asked when the two of them reached the front door of the apartment, and she slowly turned around on her heels to look at the tall young man. "We definitely need to meet with Noda and Uchiyama again, and talk a little bit more. It was very nice to see you all again."

"Maybe one day," Shin answered before walking around Kumiko in order to open the door. "Just make sure you don't start daydreaming about your knight in shinning armour, and end up getting soaked."

"You know, if I didn't know you better, I'd say you're jealous." Kumiko teased before she could control her lips, but she managed to mask her embarrassment by smiling at Shin. "Good night, and take care of yourself."

"Yeah, good night," Shin repeated, and Kumiko smiled at him before turning around, and walk away. When he closed the door, Shin silently rested a hand against it, and then he sighed, "It was nice seeing you again as well…Yankumi."

* * *

With a sigh, Ryu sat down on his bed, knee up while he stared at the wall in front of him. Outside, rain continued falling mercilessly, the wind howling at the heavy and dark clouds. His father, as usual, was not at home, but much for his annoyance Ryu had noticed the way his mother had looked at Mariko as soon as she had hesitantly stepped inside their house.

Ryu guessed that he did have to thank heavens that his father was not at home. Thanks to his absence, no one would have to go through a mortifying and possibly degrading conversation, during which his father would humiliate Mariko in every possible way.

And now that he thought about it, Ryu was going to make sure Hayato did not plan anything else without his consent. He did not know why he had decided to play along, but just like Mariko, he had also been surprised when Hayato had declared that the girl was to spend the night at his house.

"That guy doesn't think…" Ryu mumbled to himself as he pressed his back against the headboard of his bed, and he looked down at his hands.

A soft knock forced Ryu to look at the door of his bedroom, which was quietly opened, and his mother walked inside. For a moment they just stared at each other, but when his mother said nothing, Ryu looked away. He knew what she was going to say anyway.

"Ryu, you know the rules." Odagiri Yuriko started as she closed the door of the room, but the young man simply continued staring at the glass-door on his side. "You know I don't mind giving shelter to that girl, but to bring her here without even telling us that you had a girlfriend…you know very well what your father thinks about that."

"What would you have me do? Let her stay outside with this weather?" Ryu asked without tearing his eyes away from the glass-door, teardrops continuously hitting the glass. "And you know I don't care about what father says."

"Still you should have warned me in advance." Yuriko started in her soothing tone, and Ryu took a deep breath as he now focused his attention on the ceiling. "I would have prepared things, and then there would be—"

"What do you think that's going to happen?" Ryu interrupted, and after a few seconds in silence, he finally gazed at his mother. "You're here, which is why I brought Mariko to our house. Hayato couldn't take her to his, because only men live there."

"Even so, you know it's not proper for a boy and a girl to be under the same roof when they are simply dating." Yuriko replied as she clasped her hands in front of her legs, "She is a nice girl and very polite, but you know how you're supposed to behave in this house."

"Did Mariko ask if she could come see me or something?" Ryu asked suddenly, but his mother simply continued looking at him by the door. "She probably did, and you're worried about leaving us alone in my room. Just tell her to come in, and leave the door open if you want. I don't care."

"Ryu…"

"It's only for tonight anyway," Ryu continued, ignoring the condescending tone her mother had used to utter his name, "She's going to stay in the guest's room, so don't worry, we're not going to do anything that can taint the Odagiri's name."

"Ryu, you know very well I wasn't implying that," Yuriko started, but Ryu snorted at that, "I will leave the door open simply because it's the only way for me to have a peaceful conscience."

When Ryu said nothing, Yuriko decided to turn around, and rest her hand on the doorknob. Slowly, she glanced at her son over her shoulder before finally deciding that he was not going to say anything, and that it was better to allow Mariko to get inside before it got too late. It was already past bedtime, but she guessed that she could allow them to talk even if it was only for five minutes.

Without uttering a word, Yuriko left the room, and informed Mariko, who had been standing on the hall that she could go inside. As she walked past the girl, Yuriko also whispered for her to leave the door of the bedroom open, and Mariko quickly nodded at that.

"If you wanted to come here, all you had to do was knock." Ryu informed when Mariko emerged by the door, dressed in a pair of old pyjamas that his mother had found in a drawer, in her bedroom. "You don't have to ask my mother for permission to come here."

"I'm sorry, but when she asked me if I wanted to talk to you before going to bed, I said yes." Mariko apologized as she continued standing by the doorway, and slowly Ryu turned to her, "I just wanted to thank you for letting me stay here."

"Despite of everything, Hayato was right." Ryu answered as he rested an elbow on his knee, and stared down at his hand. "We told Yamaguchi we were going to look after you, and if we had let you go all by yourself we wouldn't exactly keep our promise."

"But still I think you were exaggerating a little bit." Mariko remarked, but it was then that she smiled, "I must admit I was touched by your concern; I never expected that you would take Yankumi-san's words so seriously."

"Don't overestimate us."

"Oh I won't, not after all this." Mariko quickly replied, and Ryu glanced at her only to see that her smile had diminished a little bit. "Well, I don't want you to get into any trouble with your mother, so I'll go to my room. Thank you again, for helping me."

"Your hair…" Ryu commented suddenly when Mariko had turned around to leave the room, but the girl kept her back to him as he proceeded, "I've noticed it's slightly shorter than before. Does it have anything to do with those girls from your school?"

"Eh? What are you saying?" Mariko asked still without turning around, but Ryu continued staring at her back with an impassive expression on his face. "Why would my haircut have anything to do with them?"

"Because that girl was about to cut your hair when Hayato and I showed up tonight," Ryu answered matter-of-factly, and he glanced down at Mariko's hands when he noticed that she was closing them into fists, "Why didn't you tell us about it?"

"This doesn't have anything to do with you," Mariko replied, and Ryu looked away with a snort, "This is something I have to do on my own. Don't get me wrong, I _am_ thankful that you and Hayato-kun showed up in time to save me, but I know you're not going to be around all the time."

"So what? That doesn't change the fact you can talk to us." Ryu retorted as he continued looking at the glass-door, and he noticed Mariko slowly turning around to look at him through the reflection on the glass. "It's not as if we hit girls."

"I know, but like I said this has nothing to do with you." Mariko repeated, and Ryu turned to her when he noticed through the glass-door that she was facing him again. "This is not the same as the fights you and your friends participate in."

"I beg to differ; we usually only get into fights when we see others bullying students from our school or when they step the line." Ryu replied, and when their eyes meet, he noticed how uncomfortable Mariko seemed to be. "Aren't friends supposed to be there for one another?"

"You just said it, you guys fight when others are being bullied or when people show up, determined to pick up a fight with you." Mariko started, and then she took a deep breath, Ryu watching her in silence. "You…the difference between you and I is simple; you and your friends…"

When Mariko trailed off, Ryu watched her closing her hands into fists that she slowly raised until she was in a fighting stance. Then, Mariko bit her lower lip, and continued.

"When you guys use this," Mariko covered her right hand, which was still closed into a tight fist, with her left hand, "you do it because you want to hit two things; the skin and the smugness." slowly Mariko dropped her hands, and allowed her arms to fall to her sides, "Girls don't use their fists, but when they want to hurt someone they use all they know to hit two things; the heart and the spirit."

When Ryu said nothing, Mariko crossed her arms against her chest, revealing how she still felt uneasy about the whole subject.

"That is the reason why I don't want you to help me," she continued, Ryu still watching her with attentive eyes, "Because…I know your intentions are not ill, but…when we fight, we do it because of completely different reasons, and…it's just not worth it."

"Mariko," Ryu called-out when the girl turned around, ready to leave the bedroom, "Skin or heart, when one fights someone always leaves injured no matter if the wounds are visible or not. And it's because I want to prevent those wounds that I ask you; come talk to me or even one of the guys when you're in trouble."

For a long time, Mariko just stood on the same spot, her back turned to Ryu, who continued to watch her with the same impassive expression on his face. Then, Mariko nodded, and hurriedly left the room, closing the door behind her.

When he was finally alone in his room, Ryu rested the back of his head against the headboard, and stared at the white ceiling. And for a moment he wondered if the weeping wind and the bitter cry that incessantly came from the heavens above were nothing but a reflection of what was going on around him.

**To Be Continued…**


	10. Tranquillity in Our Present Hope

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot. Also, this is based on _Gokusen 2_, but characters from _Gokusen 1_ will be present in the story.

* * *

I want to thank **cra-z-stephie****,** **NausicA****,** **KAT-TUN Lover****,** **blueprincess16** for all of your support. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Thank you a lot for your help!

* * *

**Chapter 9**

_Tranquillity in Our Present Hope_

Two days after the storm, the five boys from 3-D had decided to meet up by the fountain at the park after school. And since there was nothing spectacular to do, they had decided to throw a ball at each others like they would do in a baseball game while they talked about their fathers.

"My dad comes home drunk a lot too." Tsuchiya commented as he prepared himself to throw the ball at Keita. They had decided to talk about their parents because Hayato's father had showed up in their classroom to scream at his older son since he had heard that Hayato did not intend to go to the university.

And for some unknown reason, on the previous night Hayato's father had ended up at a restaurant with Kumiko, to talk about Hayato. Unfortunately, he had ended up falling asleep due to the huge amount of alcohol he had drunk during dinner.

"Mine too. He says it's his way to lose stress." Keita agreed as he caught the ball Tsuchiya had thrown at him, and he quickly threw it at Ryu, who silently caught it because throwing it at Kosuke.

"It means they have nothing else they enjoy." Kosuke pointed out before throwing the ball at Hayato, who had been impatiently waiting for it.

"Isn't there anything more fun than this?" Hayato shouted as he threw the ball at Tsuchiya, who yelped when he noticed that Hayato had used too much strength since the ball went flying through the air.

As the five boys run after the flying object, they were all forced to stop their tracks when they noticed to where the ball was heading. Without being able to do anything to warn the person, the students from Kurogin Gakuen helplessly watched as the ball fell right on top of the head of a person who had been quietly riding his bike.

"Are you alright?" Hayato asked as he run to the person's side, since the young man had fallen off his bike due to the ball, "I'm so sorry!"

"There's no way I'm alright..." the young man protested in pain as he rested a hand on the back of his head at same time he stood up from the floor. When they looked at each others in the eye, though, everyone gasped in surprise.

"You guys are from Yankumi's class..." Kumai pointed out suddenly, still holding his head, and the five students glanced at each others before nodding.

On the meantime, Kumiko was watching the rest of the teachers preparing themselves for the play they were going to present at a wedding. She often wondered if they would actually be able to pull it off even though Head Teacher Sawatari had informed them that he had participated in plays in the past.

"Yamaguchi-sensei shall we go for lunch?" Hitomi asked as she appeared beside the math teacher while holding a few books against her chest, a wide smile on her face.

"Ah, I ordered in today." Kumiko replied as she looked down for a moment, and Hitomi entitled her head slightly to the side.

"Is that so?" she asked, and when Kumiko nodded, she focused her attention on some random spot in front of her, "I actually asked Kujo-sensei for lunch today. So I'll go alone with him then."

"Eh?" Kumiko asked before rushing after Hitomi when the English teacher walked past her to go to her desk. "If that's the case, I'll cancel the order."

"Excuse me." a familiar voice spoke suddenly from behind Kumiko, who stopped moving almost immediately, "This is Kumai ramen."

"Sorry Kuma, can you cancel the ramen rice and meat and veggie meal?" Kumiko asked without turning around, mentally begging for a chance to go with Hitomi. As she closed her eyes, Kumiko turned to the newcomer, and walked towards him before clasping her hands in front of her face as if she was praying. "Please?"

"No way."

At the reply, Kumiko raised her head ready to say something else, but her mind went blank when she noticed that who was standing in front of her was not Kumai. Instead, dressed in working clothes, was non-other than Yabuki Hayato himself.

"Yabuki!" Kumiko exclaimed before walking around the desk when she noticed that the boy taking her lunch out. When she did not continue, Hayato turned to her, and nodded while mumbling a 'thank you'. When he got ready to leave, Kumiko walked closer to him. "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" Hayato asked as he turned around to face his teacher, his voice slightly lower than usual, "I'm helping out."

"Yamaguchi-sensei." a male voice called out suddenly, and without thinking twice, Kumiko rested a hand on top of Hayato's head, and forced the boy to duck behind the desk. "Is there a problem?"

"No. There are no problems." Kumiko quickly replied with a smile, but Head Teacher Sawatari quickly made his way towards her.

"I see." Head Teacher Sawatari started before glancing at the box on top of the desk. "You ordered a lot today."

When Sawatari turned around to resume his workout with the rest of the staff, Kumiko lowered her hand, and Hayato took the chance to stand up again while hissing a 'what are you doing?'. At the question, Kumiko gazed away from the teachers to look at him.

"Shh! They'll find out you skipped school today!" Kumiko hissed back, and Hayato widened his eyes at the realization, but it was then that Head Teacher and the rest of the teachers turned to Kumiko again. Instantaneously, Kumiko forced Hayato to duck under the desk again before raising her arms forward and do the only thing she could think of.

She started imitating the same movements she had watched the staff do under Sawatari's orders.

After explaining to Kumiko why she had caught him working for Kumai, Hayato returned to Kumai's restaurant. Once there, he immediately started working as a waiter at same time he took over the job of watching the dishes. Kumai occasionally informed him that he was doing something wrong, and corrected him.

However, truth was that Hayato found it amazing how Kumai understood that 'salty-ra and soya-ra' meant 'salty ramen and soda ramen'. But since work was in order, Hayato did not really have time to ponder about it.

"No, no, don't do it like that!" Kumai exclaimed suddenly as he left go off the food he was preparing, and rushed to Hayato's side, interrupting the boy's style of washing the dishes. "Look, you do this and then this." he started washing the dishes, "That's how you do it."

"Oh, I see..." Hayato commented as he looked away from the dirty dishes to Kumai, who looked back at him with an eyebrow raised.

"You don't do this at home, do you?" Kumai asked, holding a wet plate, and Hayato shrugged.

"There're only men at my house, so there's no need to do this." he answered, and Kumai shook his head at the reply.

"That's not the problem." he retorted as he hit Hayato on his forehead, but it was then that voices caught the two boys' attention, and they looked behind them only to see Kumai's siblings staring at them.

"Brother, we're hungry."

"I see, wait over there then." Kumai answered as he waved a hand towards a vacant table, and his siblings nodded in agreement before walking away. Both Hayato and Kumai watched them interacting until Hayato decided to speak up.

"They're so cute."

"But they're annoying." Kumai replied still holding a plate, and Hayato smirked at the reply before glancing at the plump boy beside him, who was staring at his siblings with a caring look on his face.

"I know what you mean." Hayato replied, and the two of them shared a knowing look before laughing lightly. It was also then that a familiar face walked inside the restaurant, and both Kumai and Hayato looked at the newcomer.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" Mariko apologized as she walked towards the counter, and Kumai blinked in misunderstanding at the request for forgiveness while Hayato stared confusedly at the girl.

"Mariko-san, what are you doing here?" Kumai asked before putting the plate down, and the girl smiled knowingly at him before clasping her hands behind her back.

"I'm here to help you!" she exclaimed good-naturedly, and Kumai let out a 'eh?' while Hayato mentally shook his head. He recalled Ryu saying something about Mariko wanting to make sure that Kumai would have another set of hands at his restaurant no matter if he wanted it or not. "I had to stay a little bit after school today because of my teacher, but I'm finally here. What do you want me to do?"

"Mariko-san, I told you before that I don't want you to—"

"Brother!" Kumai's little brother called-out suddenly, and the three young adults turned to him. "Can I have something to eat now?"

"Oh, I know, do you mind if I prepare their food?" Mariko asked suddenly, but when Kumai opened his mouth to reply, she continued. "I promise I'm not entirely bad at cooking. You can even ask Shin if you want."

"Wait, Mariko-san!" Kumai exclaimed, but Mariko simply smiled at him before going around the counter, and she immediately started looking for an apron. "Man, she's too much like Shin sometimes…"

"You say that as if it's a bad thing." Hayato commented in a low tone of voice, but Kumai simply sighed in resignation before turning around, and go after Mariko to tell her about what she should do. Hayato, on the meantime, saw a customer leaving the restaurant, and immediately went after her.

"Thank you for your meal!" the customer thanked as she left the restaurant, and Hayato quickly left the doors as well while saying a 'thank you, madam'.

"It's pretty busy."

"What? We thought there wouldn't be any customers and came all this way." a voice spoke from behind Hayato, who slowly turned around only to see his friends there. Tsuchiya, Keita and Kosuke immediately let out a 'nya' while Ryu waved a hand in greeting.

* * *

Slowly, Kumiko peeked from behind a tree before rushing towards the closest window of Kumai's Ramen Restaurant. Ever since she had talked to Hayato, and heard that he was helping Kumai out, that she had been feeling like she had to see what her student was doing. However, truth to be told, nothing prepared her for what she saw as soon as she looked through the window.

Her students, Hayato, Ryu, Tsuchiya, Keita and Kosuke were wandering around through the restaurant helping the customers while, Kumiko surprisingly noticed, Mariko was taking care of the food behind the counter.

"They're…" Kumiko whispered as she watched Hayato accompanying a customer towards a vacant table. She looked away from the scene, though, when a familiar voice called out her name.

"Yankumi, what are you doing?" Kumai asked as he walked towards his old teacher's side, while glancing at the window in confusion, and Kumiko nervously started looking everywhere, trying to come up with an excuse.

"Hum…" Kumiko let out a nervous laugh before glancing through the window again, at her students. "How come even Mariko, Odagiri and the others are here?"

"This is a rare change for my restaurant today." Kumai started as he laughed lightly, and he also gazed at the window, and watched the boys helping the customers the best they could. "They're helping out. Even Mariko decided to be all troublesome, and start working as well."

"I see." Kumiko mumbled as she stared at her students, but her eyes quickly focused on Hayato, who was cleaning a table for a customer to use while shouting 'water'. "This is the first time I've seen such a face on Yabuki. Maybe he's about to find something."

"There you go again." a voice commented suddenly, and this time Kumiko swirled around so swiftly that she almost lost her balance. "Always looking after your students, making sure they don't get hurt."

"Ah! Sawada!" Kumiko exclaimed in surprise before she could stop herself, but the said young man simply looked away from her to gaze through the window as well. On contrary of Kumiko, who had been trying to stay out of sight, he was standing so that everyone could clearly see him from inside of the restaurant. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for Mariko." Shin coolly replied, and Kumiko glanced at the said girl, who was now telling something to Tsuchiya at same time she handed him a bowl of ramen. "Yesterday she kept asking me all sort of things about Kuma, and about which could be the best approach for her to start working here."

"Your cousin is as determined as you are, I have to admit it." Kuma started as he also stood up, and Shin smirked at the words. "She just entered inside my restaurant, and before I could stop her, she was already preparing ramen for my brother and sister."

"I had nothing to do with that." Shin answered as he looked at his old friend, who simply smiled before shaking his head. "What do you say? Do you think I can go inside, and eat something?"

"You know there's no need for you to ask that." Kumai replied before turning to Kumiko, who was still kneeling on the ground, watching her students through the window. "You know, Yankumi, you can always keep an eye on them from inside the restaurant."

"Eh? What?" Kumiko asked, but her mind went blank when Shin suddenly looked down at her, his eyes holding an amused speck in their dark depths. "I-I'm not going inside. I don't want them thinking I'm following them or something."

"Then mind telling me what you are doing exactly?" Shin asked suddenly, and Kumiko glanced at him for a second before looking away, unable to come up with a decent reply. "You can always tell them they have a stalker."

"What?" Kumiko shouted, and before she knew it, she got up and walked closer to Shin, who was simply watching her in silence. "I'm not a stalker! I was just…I was just making sure they didn't do anything stupid."

"Then, you won't mind eating with me." Shin replied, and before Kumiko could say a word, he grasped her elbow, and started dragging her towards the front door of the restaurant.

"Ah! Wait! I'm not hungry! I'll just go!"

"Shut up." Shin ordered, and even though she did not know why, Kumiko felt her lips close shut at his tone. How could he have that sort of power over her, ever since he had been her student, Kumiko did not know nor did she want to find out. She knew that the answer to that dilemma would most likely shock her beyond belief.

"Oh look who decided to stop by!" Tsuchiya exclaimed all of a sudden, and everyone looked at the door only to see Kumiko and Shin emerging from behind Kumai, "Would you like a table for two? Please, follow me."

"Never thought I'd live to see the day you'd talk politely at me." Kumiko observed as she looked at her tall student, who simply smirked at her before focusing his eyes on Shin, who was already sitting down.

"I was actually talking to him." he retorted, and Kumiko widened her eyes in shock, but she was unable to say something in reply because Tsuchiya had already turned his back to her.

"Ah, these guys irritate me!" Kumiko hissed under her breath before she sat down on her chair, but she stopped mumbling things when she felt Shin's eyes on her. Almost instantaneously, Kumiko went silent, and lowered her head at same time she turned to her former student. She hated it when he stared at her like that! It was almost as if he was laughing on the inside at her antics.

"What can I get you?" Hayato asked suddenly as he appeared from behind Kumiko, who looked stunned by his language and tone.

"What sort of question is that?" she asked back before she could control herself, and Hayato looked down at her in confusion. "You could be more well-mannered to your customers, you know? If you behave like that you'll scare people away."

"I'd like some Miso Ramen." Shin spoke suddenly as he looked at Hayato, who glanced at him before nodding in understanding. "And bring some for your teacher as well."

"Oi, I don't need you to decide for me!" Kumiko retorted, but before she could turn to Hayato, the boy excused himself before walking towards the counter. When she heard Hayato tell Mariko what they had requested, Kumiko turned to Shin. "Why did you do that?"

"Because there are other customers here, and Yabuki needs to work." Shin retorted, and Kumiko looked away at his reply. "Besides, the sooner you eat, the sooner you can leave. This way your students won't think that you're stalking them."

"I said I wasn't following them!" Kumiko shouted suddenly, and everything went silent. In confusion, Kumiko started glancing around, noticing how everyone was staring at her in surprise. With a nervous laugh, she looked down, and Ryu was the first to break the silence by ordering some Shoyo Ramen.

"I hate you." Kumiko whispered to Shin, who simply looked away from his cousin to stare at her. "How come you always manage to anger me? You know very well that I wasn't stalking them."

"You're just making sure they don't do anything stupid, I know." Shin replied, voicing the same words that Kumiko had told him outside, and Kumiko nodded in agreement. "Still, don't you think you should trust them? If you keep following them around, they won't be able to do what they want to do."

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Kumiko asked, swiftly changing the subject, and Shin stared at her for a few seconds before gazing away, at his cousin, who was now laughing at something Keita had told her. "I thought you had said you were busy."

"I was with Noda and Uchi if you must know." Shin explained without looking away from Mariko, "I was returning home when I noticed you were spying on someone, and then I decided to give you a hand."

"Eh? What hand?" Kumiko asked confusedly, and Shin glanced at her before looking at Mariko again. "You just dragged me. You can hardly call that giving someone a hand!"

"I gave you an excuse to come here," Shin corrected before resting his arms on the table, and stare at Kumiko with a small smirk on his face. At the expression on his face, Kumiko looked down, hands resting on her legs, "Besides, I was bored."

"What? You did all this because you were bored?!" Kumiko exclaimed in an angered tone, but she was forced to calm down when Hayato returned with their food. Heavens, she had never thought that after three and half years, Sawada Shin would still have such a power over her.

And the problem was that despite of everything…despite of the fact that Shin was still like a dear student to her, Kumiko was starting to feel attracted to the power and tranquillity he emanated every time he was close to her.

On the following day, however, Kumiko could not help but be surprised when she heard Hayato inform Kumai (who had showed up at their high school to deliver some meals) that he was free after three, and that therefore he was going to help at the restaurant. And despite of what Shin had told her on the previous day, Kumiko could not help but tell herself that she was going to check Hayato and Kumai after school.

After all, even though she had welcomed the news about Hayato helping Kumai with a smile on her face, truth was that she could not forget the wounds Kumai had on his face. She did not know why he had them or what had happened for real, but deep down Kumiko simply could not allow Kumai to forget that no matter how old he was, she would always be his homeroom teacher.

**To Be Continued…**


	11. The You Behind Your Reflection

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot. Also, this is based on _Gokusen 2_, but characters from _Gokusen 1_ will be present in the story.

* * *

I want to thank **cra-z-stephie**, **NausicA**, **KAT-TUN Lover**, **blueprincess16** _and_ **Nouky** for all of your support and help. You guys have been awesome with me, and for that, I thank you deeply (bows). I hope you enjoy this chapter, although most of it is connected with one of the episodes from the drama. Thank you for everything!

* * *

**Chapter 10**

_The You Behind Your Reflection_

As a small laugh escaped her lips, Mariko handed Hayato two bowls before pushing her glasses up her nose. Kumai was next to her, laughing as well, while Hayato was growling under his breath. It seemed as if everyone had decided to take the day off, and make sure that Yabuki Hayato did not do anything silly.

But of course that Hayato ended up feeling slightly more irritated when Yamaguchi Kumiko had emerged from outside, pushing the door open in order to step inside the restaurant.

"Everyone's checking up on me…" Hayato sighed, and Kumiko sent him a confused look before looking to her side when various voices chorused her name. Her eyes widened in surprise when she spotted Ryu, Tsuchiya, Keita and Kosuke, all eating ramen on the table next to the door.

"You guys are here too?" Kumiko asked as her students continued eating their meals, and Keita smiled at her question before turning his head to his teacher again.

"It's too interesting." he pointed out as he raised his chopsticks slightly, and Kumiko entitled her head slightly at his reply, and Kosuke nodded before swallowing his food, and look at his teacher as well.

"He's right," he stated, and Kumiko turned to him, "Seeing a courteous Hayato is really rare."

"Don't come to watch me as entertainment." Hayato scolded as he continued standing in front of Kumiko, also watching his friends eating, who laughed at his reprimand while Ryu mumbled a 'if fits you well'.

"I'll have a roasted pork filled ramen with gyoza." Kumiko spoke suddenly as she turned to Hayato, a small smile on her face before making her way towards the empty seat next to Kosuke at same time Hayato muttered a 'make it yourself'.

It was then that the door of the restaurant was opened, and a group of men dressed up in suits stepped inside. The first one quickly smirked at the sight of the customers, who turned around to see him.

"Hello, welcome to the bad tasting ramen shop." the man at the front commented before pushing Hayato aside, and immediately kick a chair that was on his way. The other members of the group quickly started doing the same.

"Hey, what's with you guys?" Kumiko asked as she stood up from her seat, the rest of her students watching the scene from their chairs while both Kumai and Mariko stood behind the counter. "If you want to interrupt the business, go somewhere else."

"What did you say?" the leader of the group asked as he stared at Kumiko, and Kumai quickly made his way towards his teacher.

"Yankumi, leave them." the owner of the restaurant declared as he stared at the group of men, and Kumiko glanced at him before staring at the older man who was still standing in front of her.

"Such an authoritative woman," another man stated as he walked from behind his colleagues, still staring at Kumiko, but he moved his eyes in order to glance at Kumai, a small smirk on his face. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"I'm his homeroom—"

"You're wrong." Kumai immediately stepped in, knowing what Kumiko was about to say, and he rested his hands on the woman's shoulders as he stepped in front of her. "She's just an ordinary customer."

"Is that so?" the man asked, and the students from Kurogin Gakuen glanced at each others in perplexity, while Hayato continued watching the scene from close to the door. "I guess we'll leave for today for this cute customer's sake."

Slowly, the group of men started leaving the restaurant, but before he went after them, the leader grasped the front of Kumai's vest, and pushed him forward. When their eyes met, the man informed Kumai that that was the last warning before walking away.

Moments later, everyone could be seen strolling in the park in silence, Kumai leading them. Kumai had decided that it was better for them to go for a walk, and so he had requested for his mother to stay in the restaurant, and he had also asked if Mariko minded staying behind. When the girl accepted, Kumai quickly thanked her, and lead his friends to the park.

As expected from Kumiko, the math teacher quickly asked if the guys who had showed up at the restaurant were doing the land speculation. She also took the chance to ask Kumai if they were threatening him to close down, everybody else watching her in silence while Kumai kept his back to the group.

And eventually the only thing that Kumai had not wanted to hear, ended up leaving Kumiko's mouth as she walked to his side…

"Why didn't you ask me for help earlier? You're being distant not telling me about such an important matter." a small pause and Kumiko took a deep breath, "But it's okay now. I'll help you out. Leave it to me, okay?"

"Don't kid around." Kumai finally said, and Kumiko blinked at his answer though he continued staring at the ground. Then, when Kumiko whispered his name, Kumai turned to her, his voice increasing due to anger. "You're being too nosy. This has nothing to do with you, Yankumi."

"Nothing to do with me?" Kumiko asked in surprise, but Kumai continued, ignoring her question.

"You're not my teacher anymore. It's been three years since we graduated. Stop acting as if you're still my teacher."

At those words, the Kurogin Gakuen students started looking around while Kumiko silently stared at Kumai. He looked angry, but his voice, despite of being loud, was still controlled.

"I have a plan," he continued, now looking away from Kumiko. Slowly Kumai took a deep breath, and glanced at his teacher again, "Even if you don't help me, I can still keep going."

When Kumiko tried to reach out for him, by whispering his name with a saddened expression on her face, Kumai did the only think he could think of. When he noticed that she was going to reach out for his arm, Kumai pushed her away from him.

"Stop being so nosy. You're being a nuisance."

With those words, Kumai turned his back to everyone, and started walking away, ignoring the way Kumiko was pleading for him to wait as she rushed after him. When she showed up in front of him, Kumai pushed her aside, and continued walking, trying desperately to ignore the words that Kumiko uttered next.

"I'm worried about you. Even if you think of me as a nuisance, I can't leave you alone! Kuma!"

When Kumai started running away, Kumiko stared glancing everywhere in despair. She simply could not understand why he had changed so much, and why he refused her help. He had never done such a thing in the past!

"Don't tell me…" Kumiko whispered, her eyes widening in fear, "he's going to close down the shop."

"There's no way he'd do that!" Hayato exclaimed suddenly as he walked towards Kumiko's side, and the teacher turned to him. "Why can't you understand how important the shop is to Kumai-san? You should know that better than anyone!"

"Yabuki…"

"It's too pitiful for Kumai-san if you say something like that." Hayato said in a hushed tone, his hands stuffed inside his pants' pockets.

"Hayato, you know something don't you?" Ryu asked from behind his friend, everybody else still standing on the same spots as before, and Hayato looked away for a moment. When Kumiko called his name, Hayato gave a few steps forward, and before he knew it, he decided to explain what had happened on the previous day, and why Kumai had showed up with the injuries on his face.

"…He also told me and Mariko not to come to his shop anymore because he didn't want us to get involved." Hayato added still without looking at anyone, and Kumiko stared at the back of his head. "But we couldn't agree with him, so we went there today too." there was a small pause, and Hayato suddenly turned to Kumiko, revealing his saddened eyes. "Kumai-san is trying to protect that shop and his family all by himself."

"I see." Kumiko whispered as she looked down, feeling touched by the fierce resolution her former student had made. "Kuma's been through that. Yeah…Kuma's that kind of guy… Kuma won't let that shop close down."

* * *

On the next day, Kumiko had decided that she had to skip classes, and go try to fix what was going on with Kumai and his family. She was taken back by surprise, however, when she ended up meeting her students at the park; apparently, they were determined to go with her no matter what she said.

However, truth to be told, Kumiko knew there had to be a way to stop them from going as soon as she received a phone-call from Kumai Masako, Kumai's mother.

"_Teruo, he…"_

"Kuma went alone?" Kumiko asked suddenly as she increased her grip on her cell-phone, and then she nodded. "I understand. Please, leave it up to me."

"What happened?" Ryu asked from beside Hayato, who was now gazing down after hearing Kumiko's words, and the teacher hung up before looking at her students.

"Don't worry, and go back to school." Kumiko advised, and before someone could stop him, Hayato started running, "Yabuki!"

When the rest of her students started running after Hayato, Kumiko managed to grasp Ryu and Keita's arms, forcing them to stop at same time she told them that they could not go. When they demanded to know why, Kumiko stared at the four of them.

"This is different from your stupid fights," she started in a strong and controlled tone, "I will definitely save Kuma so don't follow me," she stared at Ryu, who looked back at her. "Did you hear me?"

"Okay, we won't go." Ryu answered as he managed to get free off Kumiko's grip, and all of his friends immediately started protesting. After forcing all of her students to promise that they were not going to follow her, Kumiko told Ryu to go check on Mariko, who was at Kumai's restaurant before going after Hayato.

As soon as Kumiko turned her back to them, Ryu glanced at his friends before turning to the opposite direction Kumiko was going, and he also started running, ignoring his friends when they called his name.

He was going to call the only person he knew that could help Kumiko in that situation.

* * *

Despite of everything, Kuroda Ryuichiro had been forced to step in, and help his granddaughter after being informed by Ryu about what was going on. After a talk with Uchido Hannakuyari, Ryuchiro, Kumiko, Hayato and Kumai left with the shop's deed. However, while Ryuchiro had announced that he was going home, Kumiko and her two students went to the park, where Kumiko stared tending their wounds.

"Hayato! Yankumi!"

From behind a few trees, Ryu, Tsuchiya, Keita, Kosuke and Mariko emerged, running as fast as they could. When they reached their friends, they immediately started asking if everything was alright with them.

"Yankumi, I…" Kumai started as he rested his hands on his knees, and the math teacher turned to him, and smiled sweetly at him.

"Kuma, you're still my student." at Kumai's confused expression, she continued, "You were the one who told me during graduation that I'll always be your homeroom teacher. I'll always be on your side. I'll help you whenever you need it. Don't say sad things like not asking me for help."

"Sorry, Yankumi," Kumai apologized as he bowed slightly, and Kumiko smiled at him before ruffling his short hair. Then, Kumiko stood up, and stared at the rest of her students, the corner of her lips still curled upwards.

"You guys too. You'll still be my students even after graduation. Forever. Don't forget that."

"Yeah," Ryu replied since the rest of his friends either smiled or nodded in agreement, and Kumai let out a small laugh. Then, he turned to the younger boys, though the smile continued gracing his face.

"Before that, you guys have to graduate."

"You're one to talk." Kumiko stated before hitting Kumai slightly on top of his head, and everyone laughed at her behaviour. "Let's go home."

"Wait, I hum…I brought a first-aid kit just in case." Mariko spoke cautiously right when the boys were about to cheer, and everyone turned to her. "I mean…do you guys want to wander around through the city with those injuries?"

"I guess she's right." Hayato mumbled as he looked at Kumai, who chuckled in reply. "I don't want to scare the girls away with all this blood."

"I don't see why not. They may end up thinking you tried to save your friend, who also has the scars from war to show." Kumiko pointed out, glancing at Kumai, and Hayato thought about that for a moment before smiling.

"You're right!" he exclaimed out of the blue, and Kumiko looked taken aback by his enthusiasm. "Sorry Mariko, there's no need for you to take care of my injuries now. I'll proudly show them to everyone."

"But—"

"Trust me; he's not going to change his mind any time soon." Tsuchiya stated as he rested a hand on Mariko's shoulder, and the girl looked at him before nodding. "But alright, lets help these proud warriors walk home!"

"Yeah!" Keita and Kosuke chorused as they stood up from the ground, and quickly went to Kumai's side to help him stand up as well. Tsuchiya, on the other hand, walked to Hayato's side, and gave him a hand, while Kumiko lead the way.

"What about you?" Ryu asked as he walked beside Mariko, everyone else walking ahead of them, and the girl gazed at him before smiling. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, and I'm glad you still managed to find the time to go check on me even though I know you were extremely worried about Hayato-kun." Mariko thanked with a small smile, but Ryu looked away at her content expression. "I was very worried about all of you when those men showed up, and started trashing everything. Masako-san was so freaked out, and Aya-chan and Haruo-kun just kept asking for their older brother."

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" Ryu asked before he could stop himself, and Mariko blinked at his question before shaking her head. "Good."

"Oi, oi, what's this?" a voice asked suddenly, and the two friends looked ahead of them only to notice that everyone had stopped walking just to watch them. "You know, the first time was a joke, but seriously, don't we look cute together?"

"Shut up." Ryu said as he stuffed his hands inside his jacket's pockets while Mariko looked away, blushing faintly. "Mind your own business."

"Aw c'mon Ryu, don't kill us just because we can't help but notice how cosy you two look when together." Tsuchiya teased with a smirk, but Ryu simply shook his head slightly, "Besides, why would Mariko blush if she didn't think the same?"

"Ah! What? Is it true?" Kumiko asked as she appeared in front of Ryu and Mariko from out of nowhere right when Mariko had parted her lips to answer to Tsuchiya's observation. "You guys are going out? Aw! That's so cute!"

"Shut up." Ryu repeated in a calm tone, and Kumiko immediately went quiet, though the corner of her lips curled up into a knowing smile. She could hardly wait to tell Shin about what was going on between his cousin and her student.

"Well, I think I'm going now." Mariko started after a small silence, and Ryu looked at her only to notice that she was gazing at him. However, when their eyes met, Mariko immediately turned to the rest of the group, and smiled at them. "Hayato-kun, Kumai-san, please, take care. I'll see you at the restaurant tomorrow."

"Sure." Kumai answered with a short nod, before quickly adding, "I'm sorry for what you had to go through. I should have tried to convince you not to work at my shop no matter what."

"You could, but that doesn't mean you would have succeeded in convincing me not to go." Mariko retorted still with a smile on her face, "After all, I am a Sawada!"

"Now that's true…" both Kumai and Kumiko mumbled to themselves, and Mariko smiled at everyone before biding farewell, and start walking away. Despite of what his friends had told him, Ryu watched Mariko walking away until an arm around his shoulders forced him to look to the opposite side.

"You know something, Ryu? I bless your relationship with Mariko." Hayato started with a serious expression on his face, and his friend sent him a look. "She may a bit strange sometimes, but I'm happy to witness that you're finally becoming interested in girls."

"He's right; we never expected to see this day!" Keita exclaimed from his spot, since he was helping Kumai to walk along with Kosuke. "And Mariko-chan is really nice. You better treat her properly."

"Yep, I agree with him." Kosuke added with a short nod, while Kumai smiled at their antics, and Ryu rolled his eyes.

"Because if you're not interested, I truly wouldn't mind approaching her." Hayato stated suddenly, and everyone stared surprised at him. "What? It's true!"

"Oi, you're interested in her as well?" Tsuchiya asked as he looked at Hayato, and then he smirked widely as he glanced at Ryu before focusing his attention on Hayato again. "I never thought there would be a day when you'd refuse to go out on group dates."

"Hey, hey, I didn't say that." Hayato warned with a serious tone before smirking at Ryu, "I was simply stating a fact."

"I don't think you guys should behave like that." Kumiko warned as she crossed her arms against her chest, and her students looked at her. "Hayato, you leave Ryu alone; don't tease him about going after Mariko just to get him jealous. And Ryu…I think you might want to talk to Sawada before you decide to make a move on Mariko."

"Shut up, all of you," Ryu finally grunted as he started walking forward, "And stop annoying me."

As she heard the rest of her students teasing Ryu about his nonexistent relationship with Mariko, Kumiko silently watched him walking away, with a small smile on her face. However, her smile vanished when she suddenly thought that Ryu and Mariko's relationship made her think of hers with Shin.

"Idiot, you have nothing in common." Kumiko scolded in a hiss as she looked down, and she quickly shook her head, "Don't you even dare to think that way, you dim-witted."

However, the truth was that the more she told herself not to think about Shin as someone she could possibly be interested in, the more Yamaguchi Kumiko thought about it and enjoyed to do so.

**To Be Continued…**

I finally watched the first episode from _Gokusen III; _yuppie! Though, I couldn't help but notice how younger the actors look when in comparison with the casts from _Gokusen I _and _II_. Even Kumiko's new crush looks young! However, I think the first two seasons will always be my favourites, especially because both of them have actors that I really like XD. Oh well, go figure why I decided to post this here (sweatdrops). See ya later!


	12. The Tingle of Your Skin

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot. Also, this is based on _Gokusen 2_, but characters from _Gokusen 1_ will be present in the story.

* * *

Oi, updates sure are coming very quickly, ne? Perhaps it's time to slow down a little bit? Hum… Well, anyway, yep, as you can see, the new chapter is up XD. I want to thank **Youko-Kuramas-Kitsune**, **NausicA**, **blueprincess16**, **cra-z-stephie** _and_ **KAT-TUN ****Lover **for everything; you guys rock! However, I must ask you for the last time (after this, I'm going to decide if I shall do it or not): do you guys want a sequel or an epilogue for this story? Cheers!

* * *

**Chapter 11**

_The Tingle of Your Skin_

She had absolutely no idea of how she ended up in that situation. Truth was that at the beginning, she had been laughing and talking quite light-hearted, but as time continued to pass by she had started calming down to the point when she refused to look at the person sitting across from her. How could she anyway? No matter how hard she tried to ignore it, she just could not escape from his penetrating gaze…

She had noticed that he occasionally glanced at her ever since she had first sat down beside Uchiyama, and greeted her former students with a wide smile. However, as the conversation proceeded, his glances became more frequent until he started staring at her for long periods of time.

At the beginning she had tried to ignore it; they did not spend much time together, so she had dismissed his antics by thinking that he was probably just taking in how all of them had changed, both physically and mentally, but… Well, as lunch progressed, she had been forced to admit that his intentions seemed to go beyond her thoughts…

"So, we finally figured out we're going to start with a simple construction." Uchiyama started from beside Kumiko, who turned her head to him at same time she tried to overlook the way Shin was watching her. "We're going to start by building a school. It's not going to be anything fancy since it's going to be our first try, but we decided that it was worth a shot."

"Besides, a school is something we all identify with." Noda stepped in with a wide smile, and Uchiyama nodded while Kumiko moved her eyes to her other student. "Uchi already came up with the structure for the building, and I've already started thinking about how the interiors are going to look like."

"And Shin will help out by donating some money." Uchiyama informed, and despite of the fact she was trying desperately not to look at the young man sitting across from her, Kumiko ended up raising her eyes to stare at Shin.

"Don't say it like that; it sounds as if I'm not going to do anything." Shin reprimanded, and Uchiyama chuckled while Noda wrapped an arm around Shin's shoulders. "I'm going to help out at the construction as well."

"Yep, gotta develop those muscles." Noda laughed as he gave Shin one light squeeze before dropping his arm. "Anyway, we all decided to do this because it will help us out at University. I even talked to some teachers, and they were all pretty excited about the whole thing."

"Why shouldn't they be?" Kumiko asked as she looked at Noda, and her face brightened up by a huge smile. "I am quite excited about everything myself. Just the fact the three of you are together in this is more than enough to make me happy. I'm very proud too, because it's amazing to see how you guys turned out."

"Hey, don't get us wrong, we may be all serious now, but we still like to have some fun." Uchiyama retorted before giving Noda a 'high five' since his friend had raised his hand, and Kumiko shook her head at their antics though she was still smiling.

"And speaking of having fun, it's time for me to go." Noda announced before gathering his bag, and stand up from his seat. "I have classes in a few hours, and I still need to go to the library before heading to the university. I'll see you guys later."

"No, wait, I'll go with you!" Uchiyama called out before grabbing his glass, and finish his drink, Kumiko watching them with confusion. "I have to go to the supermarket. I promised my mother I would buy things for dinner."

"You know, I'm surprised to see how you guys are now." Kumiko pointed out as Uchiyama got up from his chair, and grabbed his jacket. "Three years ago you guys couldn't even hear the word 'work' that you'd throw a tantrum."

"Well, we _did_ have to grow up, you know?" Noda asked still with a smile on his face, but he stopped Kumiko from answering by waving a hand in dismiss. "I'll see you guys later. Shin, don't forget to tell me about the next meeting."

"Yeah, sure," Shin replied not very enthusiastically, and Uchiyama beamed at his friend and former teacher before making his way towards the front door of the restaurant along with Noda.

It was only then, however, that Kumiko noticed the danger that was surrounding the present situation. Since she had been so eager to hear about her students' plans, she had ended up forgetting about the fact that once Uchiyama and Noda were gone, she would be with Shin.

She forgot that she would be completely alone with Shin.

With no one to help her avoiding the feeling that kept crawling through her skin…

"Ah! Look at the time!" Kumiko finally exclaimed as she looked down at her watch, knowing very well that Shin was watching her once again. "Time does fly when you're having fun, don't you think? I seriously need to get going. I have to prepare classes for tomorrow, an—"

"You always ramble when you're nervous." Shin interrupted Kumiko's speech without revealing any unnecessary emotion, and his lips curled up into a smirk. "Never thought I'd see the day when the great Yamaguchi Kumiko would be nervous for being alone with an old friend."

"Nervous? I'm not nervous." Kumiko disagreed, as she started fidgeting with the white towel that was over the table they were using, her eyes focused on her plate. "I was just telling you that I should get going as well."

"We haven't had dessert yet." Shin pointed out, and Kumiko glanced at him in surprise before widening her eyes in shock, and she forced herself to look down again. "They have a fantastic apple pie that I think you should try."

"Ah, no, I'm not hungry." Kumiko answered as she shook her head, and slowly she raised her head only to reveal her nervous smile at Shin. "I mean, how can I possibly be hungry after everything we ate?"

"I'm sure you'll be fine if you try it." Shin retorted before raising a hand, and he called for a waitress. Before Kumiko could stop him, she heard Shin ask for two slides of apple pie to the waitress before presenting Kumiko with his trademark smirk.

And even though Kumiko knew it was wrong, she felt her cheeks warming up. Heavens, she rarely blushed! She did not even blush every time she thought about teacher Kujo, and yet, there he was, twenty-one years old Sawada Shin with that amazing capability of his of making her feel like a teenager!

Something just _had_ to be very wrong with her!

"You know, I don't understand why you're so nervous." Shin commented suddenly, and Kumiko snapped from her thoughts at his statement. "I mean…this is supposed to be a friendly lunch between friends, and not some sort of tortuous confrontation."

Oh lord, since when could he read her so well?

"I'm not nervous." Kumiko stated again, mentally breathing in relief when her voice came out strongly yet calmly, "I was just telling you there was no need for you to request for a dessert for me because I'm full."

"Yet I have asked for one, because I'm sure you'll like it." Shin coolly retorted, and Kumiko closed her hands into tight fists though that action went unnoticed by Shin since her hands were resting on her legs. "Tell me Yankumi, are you enjoying teaching at Kurogin Gakuen?"

"Believe it or not when I first saw my class, I immediately thought of you guys." Kumiko answered, and Shin rested his chin on his hand, "They all hated teachers, and all of them had once swore never to trust a teacher."

"But of course you ended up sticking your nose where you shouldn't, and everyone changed their minds." Shin pointed out, and Kumiko looked down with an embarrassed smile at same time she nodded. When her brain finally processed Shin's words, she looked at him with wide eyes.

"Hey, wait! I did not stick my nose where I shouldn't!" she exclaimed, but Shin simply smirked at her tone before leaning against the back of his chair, "I merely did what I had to do. Thankfully yes, my students ended up trusting in me, and for that I'm thankful."

"Yes, I know you are." Shin said, and Kumiko stared at him right in the eye.

A shiver run down her spine, however, when Kumiko noticed the way Shin was looking at her. He was looking at her the same way he used to do in classes; he was watching her…he was observing her…he was taking in all of her flaws and faults, and accepting all of them …

She had to get away from that stare!

She had to get away from that feeling!

"You pretend to be nice and play dirty tricks. You, grown-ups. We won't be fooled anymore." Kumiko started, saying the first thing that popped in her mind. "I remember you also accusing me of lying to all of you in order to force Kuma to confess since everyone believed he had stolen the collection bag."

"And I didn't believe in you for quite some time." Shin replied before moving backwards when the waitress returned with the two slides of apple pie. "I always found you interesting though, and it was because of you that I went to school."

Oh no, that was going the wrong way again!

"Yeah right; you guys went to school because you loved to hang around with each others." Kumiko retorted with a knowing smile, but Shin simply grabbed his fork, and started eating his dessert. "But I also like to think that you enjoyed my class, which would explain why everyone was there."

"I don't know about the others," Shin started before raising a small piece of pie, and he slowly ate it, Kumiko looking down at her own slide, "but you were the reason why _I_ went to school everyday. And nothing will change that now."

"You're giving me too much credit." Kumiko observed as she also started eating her slide of pie, but Shin said nothing. "I'm simply a math teacher, who has to go through a lot of trouble to make sure no one finds out about my family. Last time, I almost killed Yabuki when he commented that I should take over my family business, during class."

"Why did he say that?" Shin asked without taking his eyes from his dessert, and Kumiko sighed.

"Well, I'm only a temporary teacher, working until March." Kumiko explained as she finally raised her eyes to look at Shin, who looked back at her as well. "So, when I told my students about that, they all started telling me about all sort of jobs I could try to do, and Yabuki commented about my family's business."

"How did you manage to escape from that one?" Shin asked, sounding as much interested as he appeared to be, and Kumiko chuckled.

"He said it was a soba joint." she answered before smiling lightly at the memory, "But of course that only made my students more curious, because they all started asking about where the joint was."

"Always going through extenuating circumstances, I see." Shin mumbled before moving his fork up to his lips again, and Kumiko nodded as she raised her head again. "And speaking about your family, when do you think I can go visit your grandfather?"

"Well, any time I guess." Kumiko answered as she finished eating her pie, but she regretted her reply as soon as she noticed the smirk on Shin's face. "I-I mean…I guess you can go there any time, but…it's always good to ask in advance."

"Don't worry; I'll call before I show up." Shin replied, but the smirk on his face did not help Kumiko to feel comfortable at all. "I have to talk to your grandfather about something important, so I'll wait until time is opportune for me to go to your house."

"Something important?" Kumiko repeated, but Shin simply focused his attention on the rest of his pie, "What could you possibly have to talk to my grandpa?"

"That's for me to know," Shin started as he finally finished eating his dessert, and he gently rested his fork against the plate, and Kumiko felt her breathe get stuck in her throat when he looked at her with his dark eyes, a strange tingle conquering her skin as she waited for him to continue, "and for you to find out much later."

* * *

She did not know how she had ended up in that situation. And to think that she had simply decided to go to the park because she had felt the need to write while feeling the cold breeze kiss her cheeks! She had definitely never expected to meet Akemi and her gang there.

When she had spotted the Momo Gakuen students, they had been taunting a junior, who had unfortunately dropped all of her books right in front of them. Akemi, never wanting to lose a chance to insult a junior, had immediately started screaming.

And since she just did not know when to stay in her corner, Mariko had found herself standing up from the bench with her things, and walk towards Akemi's group. She had planned to just show up from behind the junior, and help the poor girl to get away without any conflicts, but as usual Akemi never lost the chance to irritate her as well.

"Where do you think you're going, busu?" Akemi asked right after Mariko had told the junior to run away, "You seem to enjoy saving others, while taking their punishments all by yourself. What are you? Some sort of masochist?"

"Such a big word; do you even know its meaning?" Mariko heard herself ask before she could control her tongue, and Akemi narrowed her eyes in anger at same time she crossed her arms against her chest.

"I don't know if you've noticed, Sawada, but this time there's no one around to be your knight in shinning armour." she stated, and Mariko mentally took a deep breath; that was not the time for anxiety or fear. "Also, I think it's time for you to stop running away from us every time we try to give you a new haircut."

"Why do you keep doing this?" Mariko asked, still trying to control her nervousness, and Akemi stared at her as if she was stupid before laughing, her friends quickly mimicking her actions. "This is pointless!"

"Pointless, you say?" Akemi asked with a disbelieving look on her face that was quickly replaced by a wide smile, "My dear let me tell you that this is everything but pointless. This is the best thing you can do! Nothing's better than the sweet fragrance of panic, which is something you're trying so desperately to keep hidden from us."

"I just don't understand why you keep on doing this." Mariko started before closing her right hand into a fist, knowing that if she did not do something, she would surrender to fretfulness. "I just…I never did anything to you! We never spoke until you decided to use me as your punching-bag!"

"Well, what can I say?" Akemi asked as she rested her index-finger against her cheek, but the smile never left her lips. "I simply can't stand you. You're ugly, stupid, and you provide an awful reputation to Momo Gakuen. We feel like it's our job to make sure that trash like you doesn't stain the name of our high school."

"Which is exactly why we have to do something," Yoshie continued before walking closer to Mariko, and stare at the girl up-and-down. "We are going to continue with your hair, but girl, you seriously need to lose some weight."

"Indeed, I wonder how you even manage to fit in your uniform." Noriko Kazumi laughed loudly, and Mariko looked down as she started feeling her heartbeat increase, "You're really unattractive. I wouldn't leave my house if I were you."

"And those glasses only make you look even more hideous!" Shigeko Tamiko sniggered, and the whole group started laughing while Mariko closed her eyes, trying desperately to calm herself down.

"Mariko-chan!" a voice shouted from far away, and Akemi and her friends looked to their sides only to see a student from Kurogin Gakuen running towards them.

"Tsk, more trash." Akemi commented in a disgusted tone before looking at her friends, "Let's go."

Even though she did not raise her head, Mariko heard the group of girls walking away while one pair of footsteps got closer. She had recognized the voice immediately, and she found herself thanking heavens that Keita had showed up even though at same time she was cursing herself for being so weak.

"Oi, Mariko-chan!" Keita called-out again when he reached the girl's side, and Mariko forced herself to take a deep breath. "It's funny to find you here, because I'm on my way to go meet the guys at Kumai-san's restaurant. Are you heading there as well?"

"I…" Mariko tried to speak but she bit her lower lip when her voice quivered. No, she could not allow Akemi and the others to affect her that badly! She had to be stronger than them! "I…"

"Eh? Is there something wrong?" Keita asked as he looked confusedly at the girl, but Mariko still refused to look back at him. "Oi, Mariko-chan, you know that you can talk to me if you need anything, right?"

_"Mariko. Skin or heart, when one fights someone always leaves injured no matter if the wounds are visible or not. And it's because I want to prevent those wounds that I ask you; come talk to me or even one of the guys when you're in trouble."_

At those words, Mariko felt her heart tighten, and her eyes started stinging due to the tears that she was desperately pushing back. She had told him! She had told Ryu that she was aware that he and the others would not be around her all the time! She had told him in an indirect manner that she was going to be strong!

She had indirectly informed Ryu that she was going to be brave just like him, his friends, Kumiko, and Shin!

And yet there she was, battling against tears…

"I-I'm sorry, Keita-kun…" Mariko finally started in a trembling voice, and she took a deep breath before raising her head, and she saw Keita's eyes widen when one tear finally managed to roll down her cheek. "Please…tell Kumai-san that I…can't go work today…"

With those words, Mariko grasped the straps of her bag before running past Keita, ignoring when he shouted her name. There was just absolutely no way that she could go to Kumai's restaurant, and pretend that nothing had happened! There was no way she could go there, and stare at Ryu in the eye when she had silently promised him that she was going to be valiant!

There was simply no way!

For what had resembled to a long time, Keita simply stood on the same spot, looking completely stunned. He did not understand what had happened, but he knew what he had seen. And it was exactly because of that that Keita lost no time in turning around, and rushed to Kumai's restaurant.

"Oi Keita, I was beginning to think you had gotten lost or something!" Tsuchiya exclaimed from his seat as he continued fanning himself, but Keita ignored him as he stormed inside the restaurant, and turned to Hayato before settling his eyes on Ryu.

"What's wrong?" Hayato asked, and Keita took a deep breath.

"There's…something wrong with…Mariko-chan." he wheezed, and he noticed how both Hayato and Ryu immediately widened their eyes while both Kosuke and Tsuchiya started asking for more information without delay.

"I saw her at the park," Keita continued still panting, and he rested a hand against his chest, "I saw a group of girls from Momo Gakuen talking to her, but they walked away when I called Mariko-chan's name. When I asked her if she was coming here as well, she just apologized to me, and then she run away."

"What do you mean 'she run away'?" Kosuke asked, and Keita nodded as he took another deep breath.

"She just left, but the thing is that…she was crying."

At those words, both Hayato and Ryu stood up from their seats before running out of the restaurant. Both Tsuchiya and Kosuke followed suit, and Keita was forced to scream at Kumai that Mariko was probably not going to show up before rushing after his friends.

Since they did not have one single clue about where Mariko could be, the five boys from Kurogin decided to split up, and follow five different directions. All of them knew that all they had to do was to call each others as soon as they found out anything about Mariko's whereabouts.

As the students from Kurogin scanned the whole city in search for Mariko, the said girl found shelter in a Japanese garden. Not many people were there, which offered enough freedom for Mariko to finally release the tears that she had been holding back ever since she had encountered Keita.

She knew that running away had been wrong, but she had been unable to think of anything else. She had felt suffocated by Akemi and her friends' words, and all she had wanted when Keita showed up was to get away from everything and everyone.

All she had wished for was to find a place where she could let go off her anger and sadness.

And she did so, as soon as she found a secluded shelter underneath the long branches of a willow tree. Mariko did not understand why she had picked that spot of all places the garden offered, but she guessed that she could somehow identify herself with the willow's weeping branches.

"What's this?" a voice asked suddenly, and Mariko gasped in surprise when she felt someone approach her from her side. "Such a pretty girl should not be crying like that."

In confusion, Mariko looked to her side, and raised her hands to her chest when she noticed that it was a man most likely on his late seventies. He was dressed in a grey yukata, a kind smile gracing his face. He moved rather gracefully, but he had stopped walking when Mariko had raised her head to look at him.

"May I ask what's wrong?" he asked in a kind tone, but Mariko simply gazed down, fresh tears threatening to fall from her eyes, and her glasses started getting foggy. "I do not know what happened, but may I say something?"

Even though all she wanted was to be alone, Mariko nodded.

"Have you ever heard the saying 'nana korobi, ya oki'?" the man asked, but before Mariko could answer, he continued. "Literally it means, 'seven falls, eight getting up'. Do you understand its meaning?"

Since she still did not trust her voice to speak up, Mariko answered by shaking her head.

"No? Well, it means, fall down seven times, get up eight times." the man explained, and hesitantly Mariko glanced at him. "This proverb is an encouragement to preserve. There's also another one that says, "'ame futte ji katamaru'."

"Rained on ground hardens." Mariko mumbled before she could stop herself, and the man smiled brightly at her before nodding in agreement.

"The meaning is clear; 'adversity builds character'." he clarified, but Mariko simply looked down again while biting her lower lip in nervousness. "Ah, but look at me, I should be trying to stop your tears, and yet I'm reminiscing about old proverbs."

"Mariko!" a voice shouted suddenly, and the girl looked forward only to widen her eyes when she spotted a familiar figure standing on a bridge not too far from her position. Even though all she wanted was to stand up, and run away, Mariko was forced to stay on the same spot when the man spoke up again.

"An old friend of yours?" he asked, and Mariko glanced at him before nodding, though a bit hesitantly. "Good. You know, people say that a true friend is someone who knows there's something wrong with you even when you have the biggest smile on your face."

"Mariko…" Hayato breathed out as he reached the girl's side, and slowly, almost cautiously, the said girl looked away from the old man to gaze at him. "What happened?" before Mariko could say a word, Hayato glanced at the old man who was still standing close to them, and his eyes widened in recognition. "You're…Yamaguchi's grandfather."

At those words, Mariko turned her head to the old man, who simply smiled kind-heartedly at her before nodding.

**To Be Continued…**


	13. The Shade of a Shadowy Question

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot. Also, this is based on _Gokusen 2_, but characters from _Gokusen 1_ will be present in the story.

* * *

I want to thank **cra-z-stephie**, **Youko-Kuramas-Kitsune**, **KAT-TUN Lover** _and_ **NausicA**. I'm very happy to know you're all enjoying how the characters' relationships among each others are developing. Thank you for everything!

* * *

**Chapter 12**

_The Shade of a Shadowy Question_

With a grunt, Kumiko sat down on the floor in front of the table, and grasped a pen before staring into space. She had absolutely no idea how Shin managed to get to her skin the way he did, but truth was that that ability was beginning to annoying her.

And she just hated it.

She hated the tranquil way he addressed to her. She detested the caring look he had on his face every time he glanced at her. And she absolutely despised the fact that she actually enjoyed to feel his gaze on her. Ah! It was just insane!

She was his teacher! Or at least she had been, but truth was that for her, he would always be her student. She had actually told that to Kumai, and she intended to make sure that Shin was aware of her feelings as well, but still… Why did she not feel the same way whenever she was around Kujo?

It made absolutely no sense for her to blush and stammer whenever Shin was around her, when she did not behave the same way when teacher Kujo was around. Something just had to be very wrong with her.

"That guy…" Kumiko hissed under her breath, but she abandoned her thoughts when something breaking echoed through the empty division. In confusion she looked down at the pen she had been holding and sighed when she noticed she had broken it in half.

It was amazing though, how the simple act of thinking about Shin seemed to generate so many emotions and feelings, and Kumiko could not help but curse the fact that she simply did not know how to deal with those same sensations.

"He's my student, I shouldn't be thinking this way…" Kumiko mumbled to herself before resting her head on her hands, but before she knew it, she was hitting herself on the top of her head with a fist, "Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"

"Ojou!" a voice shouted suddenly, and Kumiko stopped hitting herself when she raised her head, not really thinking that someone could eventually show up, and witness what she was doing. "What's wrong? Did something happen at school?"

"Ah, Tetsu!" Kumiko shouted in her strong voice, and the man blinked in confusion before bowing down. "Bring me the strongest drink we have here! And fast!"

"But Ojou, did something happen?" Tetsu asked as he raised his head a little bit, but when he saw Kumiko narrowing her eyes in anger, he immediately swallowed heavily before bowing again. "Yes! I'll bring it immediately!"

Without wasting any second, Tetsu immediately left the room, and Kumiko stared at the door he had used to walk away before slamming her forehead against the table in front of her. Who would have thought that a former student of hers would actually manage to drive her crazy? And he probably was not even aware of what he was doing to her!

"_Wait! What's that all about? Since when do I need your blessing?"_

_"I think the answer to that question is rather simple__. It became my business as soon as I stopped being your student. And you better understand that ever since I left Shirokin Gakuen, I became more than just a rebellious teenager."_

Even though she had never expected to hear those words, truth was that Kumiko had felt honoured when Shin had told her that he cared about her future. It made her feel as if he still cared for her, and that they could maintain their relationship no matter what, but…

"_What could you possibly have to talk to my grandpa?"_

_"That's for me to know, and for you to find out much later."_

Now that Kumiko simply could not understand. No matter how hard she tried to come up with an explanation, she only found a way to hit a dead-end. It would be understandable if Shin had told her that he was going to drop by just to say hello to everyone, and even chat with them for a little bit.

But to have something he wanted to ask her grandfather?

What could that possibly be?

"Ah, why does he have to be such a puzzle?" Kumiko asked as she covered the sides of her head with her hands, and she started ruffling her hair in anger. "Why can't I just figure him out?"

"Ojou!" Tetsu called-out unexpectedly, and Kumiko stopped moving her hands and stared at him. As embarrassment finally kicked it, Kumiko lowered her hands, and tried to look as collected as possible even though her hair was completely untidy now.

"Give that to me!" Kumiko ordered in her strong voice, and she quickly snatched the bottle from Tetsu's hands, silently refusing the glass that he also handed to her. Without bothering to be well-mannered, Kumiko raised the neck of the bottle to her lips, and took a long and desperate sip.

"Hum Ojou, I know this doesn't have anything to do with me, but…" Tetsu paused when Kumiko lowered the bottle from her lips, and made a face due to the alcohol, "Is everything alright?"

"Why shouldn't it be alright?" Kumiko asked, and Tetsu made a hesitant face before glancing at her again in time to see the math teacher taking another long sip of her drink. "Don't be troublesome, Tetsu."

"It's just that…" Tetsu paused again before taking a deep breath, "It's three in the afternoon, and you're drinking… I remember you once said that you'd only drink in the evenings, most of the time with your grandfather."

"Bah, why do you have to record every little thing that I say?" Kumiko grunted, and Tetsu bowed in apology, "Just go take care of the garden or something, I…I need some time alone, to think about things."

"Yes!" Tetsu exclaimed in a high tone before bowing again, but when he turned around to leave, he glanced at Kumiko again over his shoulder. With a sigh, he decided that it was better to leave her alone even though all he wanted was to try to help her, and silently he left the living room.

"Damn it…" Kumiko mumbled to herself before staring at the papers in front of her, and she sighed when she noticed she had yet to finish preparing the next test for 3-D class. "I can't even do my job properly anymore…"

Slowly, Kumiko raised the bottle to her lips again, and after another long sip she breathed deeply. She did not understand what on earth was going on with her, but she was determined to make sure that everything was going to end soon.

"What's this?" a voice asked suddenly, and Kumiko looked to her side, ready to tell the person to get lost, when she noticed that it was her grandfather. Instantly, she put the bottle down, and bowed in respect, "My granddaughter drinking at this hour?"

"Grandpa," Kumiko acknowledged still with her head down, but she looked up when she felt her grandfather walking towards her, "I noticed you weren't at home when I got here. Did you go for a walk?"

"Why yes, I did." Ryuichiro answered with a small smile, "I met a young woman at the park, looking quite distressed, so I decided to stay around to see if I could give her a hand. Fortunately a good friend of her showed up, and I managed to walk away without any problem."

"You really enjoy helping people, ne?" Kumiko asked with a small smile, and Ryuichiro laughed lightly at her expression before sitting down beside her. "Did the girl at least stop crying?"

"Yes, she did, and I believe her friend will take good care of her." Ryuichiro answered with a short nod, but then he focused his attention on Kumiko. "However, I must say that I don't do a good job all the time unless you tell me what has been tormenting you."

"Ah, that…" Kumiko mumbled before looking down, Ryuichiro watching her in silence, "It's just a student that has been confusing me. I don't know what to do with him, and…well, I guess I decided to run away from the chaos by drinking a little bit."

"You've drank half of the bottle, Kumiko." Ryuichiro pointed out, and his granddaughter glanced at the bottle in surprise, "Why don't you tell me what has been upsetting you? I may try to help."

Kumiko knew that her grandfather would help her if she told him about Shin, and about what happened to her every time she was around him. For others that would probably be too personal, but for Kumiko to be able to talk to her grandfather meant to be able to open the door of knowledge, and grasp the splendour of understanding.

But the question was; could she actually tell her grandfather that she felt like a teenager every time she was around Shin, although she did not understand why?

"Grandpa…"

"'Koketsu ni irazunba koji o ezu'." Ryuichiro spoke suddenly, and Kumiko looked at him, "'If you do not enter the tiger's cave, you will not catch its cub'. Do you understand the meaning of this saying, Kumiko?"

"You told me that saying once, when I was little." Kumiko commented before narrowing her eyes in thought, and she struggled to recall the meaning of that proverb. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?"

"Indeed." Ryuichiro replied with a short nod, and he glanced at the wall in front of him for a moment, "You see, Kumiko, that saying means that you cannot do anything without risking something. And right now, I won't be able to help you unless you tell me what's going on in your heart."

"Grandpa…"

"But of course, I'll wait until you're ready to tell me," Ryuichiro continued, and Kumiko looked down at his soothing tone, "I was simply reminding you that I'm here in case you need to talk. There's no need to use drinking."

"Grandpa!" Kumiko called out when Ryuichiro stood up from the floor, and she closed her right hand into a fist. Never, in her entire life, had she worried about feeling too embarrassed to talk about any sort of subject with her grandfather, and she would be damned if she was going to start now. "It's…It's about Sawada Shin."

* * *

"I never thought you were the kind of people who likes to be all troublesome."

At those words, Mariko looked away from the cheerless branches of the willow tree to glance at Hayato, who was staring at some random spot ahead of him. However, instead of saying something in return, Mariko simply focused her attention on the branches again.

"I know you like to keep everything to yourself, but man, I thought we were friends." Hayato continued, and this time Mariko gazed down, to her knees, "But I guess that's why you and Ryu get along so well. He tends to keep everything to himself too. In fact, it was because of that habit of his that he and I got into a fight a while ago."

"It wasn't my intention…to worry you." Mariko said in a small voice, and Hayato glanced at her before shaking his head. "I just…needed to be alone, and…think about things."

"Right, like you can't think when you're with your friends," Hayato mumbled, and Mariko glanced sideways at him before looking away. "Listen, I'm not crucifying you or anything, I'm simply saying that sometimes it's better to talk to someone instead of trying to deal with the problems all by yourself."

"That old man…Yankumi-san's grandfather…" Mariko started before resting the back of her head against the tree's truck, "He said that a true friend is someone who knows there's something wrong with you even when you have the biggest smile on your face."

"You don't agree with him?" Hayato asked as he raised a knee, and rested his elbow on it, and hesitantly Mariko turned to him. "Well, I do. How do you think the guys and I always know something's wrong? I think that many would say that we can read each others easily because we've been friends for a long time, but I'm beginning to think we just suck when we try to be serious."

Despite of everything, Mariko felt the corner of her lips curling upwards in a small smile, something that did not go unnoticed by Hayato.

"Ah-ah! I managed to draw a smile out of you!" he joked, and Mariko looked at him before feeling her cheeks warming up. "But you know; I hope you now understand that we're here whenever you need help. Ryu told me you're trying to deal with everything all by yourself, but just remember there's no need to do it."

"Why are you talking as if you never tried to deal with something all by yourself?" Mariko asked suddenly, and Hayato looked at her only to see that she was looking down at her knees. "Everyone ends up deciding to face something alone eventually."

"Well, I would be lying if I said that I've never tried to fix something all by myself." Hayato started with a small shrug, and Mariko unhurriedly turned her head to him, "But I would also be lying if I didn't add that my friends always managed to find a way to show up, and give me a hand."

There was a moment of silence, and Mariko looked down at her hands while Hayato continued to watch her with attentive eyes. He silently watched the girl pushing her glasses up her nose again before deciding to look away, and speak again.

"But you know, if you have trouble speaking with the five of us, you can very well just come to me or even Ryu." he declared, and Mariko gazed at him again, "I mean, if you ask us to keep something a secret we will, but if not we'll probably end up telling what happened to Tsuchiya, Keita and Kosuke." Hayato turned to Mariko, and smirked, "They may be scary sometimes, but they are a bunch of softies."

"Like you?" Mariko asked in a teasing tone, and Hayato snorted before looking to his side and much for Mariko's confusion, he stood up.

"Looks like the cavalry has arrived," Hayato announced, and Mariko moved her torso forward a little bit only to widen her eyes in shock when she spotted Ryu running towards them. As she stared at Hayato, the said boy turned to her, revealing his smile. "Why don't you talk to him? I'm going to meet the rest of the guys, and tell them you're alright."

"Wait, Hayato-kun!" Mariko called out right when the boy was about to walk away, and he silently looked at her over his shoulder. "I…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…worry all of you…"

"Hayato is enough." the boy said suddenly, and Mariko blinked at his observation and at the smile that suddenly graced his face, "Drop the suffix, there's no point in using them. Besides, we're friends, right?"

At that question, Mariko immediately nodded, and Hayato raised two fingers before doing the rabbit ears at same time he bid goodbye. From her spot, Mariko watched Hayato change a quick word with Ryu before walking away.

As she watched Ryu approaching her now in a slower pace, Mariko felt her heartbeat gradually increase, the palm of her hands getting sweatier due to the anxiety that slowly started consuming her limbs. When Ryu gazed at her, Mariko looked away, and bit her lower lip at same time she started asking herself about what she was supposed to do.

She could not face him! Not after what she had told him at his house!

"Are you okay?"

Even though all she wanted to do was to say that she was not alright, Mariko forced herself to calm down before nodding. Slowly, Ryu sat down beside her, on the exact same spot Hayato had occupied before, and Mariko looked at him with a small smile.

"I never thought I'd worry so many people." she commented as she raised her knees, and wrapped her arms around them, and Ryu turned to her without revealing any preventable emotion.

"That's what you get when you storm off, crying."

At that reply, Mariko looked down, and quickly mumbled an apology. However, only the wind answered her by caressing her face and combing her hair. As she felt the cold breeze, Mariko closed her eyes, and took a deep breath before turning her head to Ryu again, and noticed how the breeze was also playing with his hair.

And on that moment she could not help but envy the wind and its capability to kiss everyone without ever being ignored.

"Ryu-kun…" Mariko started, and the boy tore his eyes away from the dancing tree's branches to look at her, and for a moment Mariko had to struggle not to blush under his gaze. "May I ask you something?"

At that, Ryu nodded, but instead of voicing her question out-loud, Mariko looked down at her knees. She knew that her question was going to sound weird, and that Ryu would probably think she was crazy, but for some reason she felt that perhaps he did have an answer for her…

"What can you do to protect yourself from the artillery that is thrown at your heart?"

There was a moment of silence, and Mariko could not help but blush in awkwardness. She had heard a 'eh?' escape Ryu's lips while his face finally revealed his confusion, and a dark shade of red immediately conquered her pale cheeks.

"I-I mean…you and your friends…when you fight, you use your fists to protect yourselves." Mariko continued before she could stop herself, "But Akemi and the others don't use physical force to attack me, and…the way I thought I could use to protect myself against them didn't work…"

"Surround yourself with your friends." Ryu answered, and Mariko turned to him in surprise, "If you're with your friends, you'll protect and be protected at same time."

"Friends…" Mariko whispered as she glanced down for a moment, and Ryu nodded. Slowly, the girl rested her eyes on his again, and licked her lips before continuing, "Ryu-kun, I…"

"You know, I've been planning on telling you this, but Ryu is enough." the boy spoke suddenly, and Mariko blinked at his words. "Ryu-kun is just plain strange. It's enough to hear other people call me that."

"Ah okay…" Mariko mumbled with a nod, and then she gazed at the boy again, "Hum…Ryu…do you think you…can give me a hand? I…I want to face Akemi and the others, but…I don't know how."

"Don't you remember?" Ryu asked suddenly, "You told me yourself that Akemi and her group don't use fists, therefore I can't physically get involved in your problem. Besides, it sucks to hit girls, so…what I can do is to help you to believe in yourself."

"Eh?"

"I don't know about you, but I remember what you told me in my room quite well." Ryu explained, and Mariko blinked, "You told me it wasn't worth it. At the beginning I thought you were referring to me giving you a hand, but now I understand that you were saying that it was not worth helping you."

Mariko looked down, and Ryu sighed before raising his right knee, and rest his hand on it while he gazed upwards.

"I don't know why you think you're worthless in that sense, but if you are determined to believe in yourself, then I'll give you a hand." he proceeded, but Mariko continued looking down. "Besides, I may not be able to hit girls, but that doesn't mean you can't do it."

"There's no way I'm going to hit Akemi!" Mariko exclaimed suddenly, a shocked expression on her face, "I've never hit anyone in my entire life, and I'm certainly not going to start now!"

"I didn't mean you should physically strike her." Ryu corrected in a calm tone, and Mariko looked away when their eyes met, "You said that Akemi hits the spirit and the heart, so why don't you try to use that same resort to hit her?"

"But I…"

"Stop being so troublesome," Ryu interrupted suddenly, and Mariko glanced at him once again, "Believe in yourself for once. You once told Kumai-san that it didn't matter if he tried to convince you not to go work with him, because you're a Sawada and that as one you'd never give up."

At that memory, Mariko could not help but smile. Go figure why she always had enough courage to stand up when surrounded by her friends, while withdrew from the world whenever she was alone.

Perhaps that was to what Ryu had been referring to the whole time…

Perhaps with his help, she would be able to finally find what she was lacking…

"Ryu…" Mariko whispered, and the boy stared at her, waiting to hear what she had to say, "I think… Can you… I just…I think I'm horrible you know? Because…even though I keep telling myself that I should get stronger, and be more courageous, I just…keep on getting weaker..."

"That's because you have to believe you can do it." Ryu stated, and Mariko looked down when she felt tears prickling her eyes, even though she did not understand why, "And trust me, when you start believing in yourself, you'll see how strong you can be."

* * *

Even though she was staring at the paper she was holding, the truth was that Kumiko was not even reading the words she had written down. Exhaustion was finally kicking in, and Kumiko had to admit that she was mentally drained. She had told her grandfather about what was going on with Shin, and she been caught by surprise when he had simply laughed, and told her that he was quite happy to hear that she was finally on the right track.

Whatever that meant.

It was almost as if all males in her life had decided to get together, and confuse her in every possible way without giving her any chance to breathe or to even find her point of reference. It was almost as if she was in a rollercoaster that never stopped moving!

"Ah, that's what you get when you're surrounded by men." Kumiko scolded herself before putting the paper down, and sigh. "Idiot, why don't you try to get along with some girls, like Hitomi-sensei or something?"

"Talking to yourself is the first step towards lunacy, or so they say." a voice commented suddenly, and Kumiko let out a yelp of surprise before turning around, and her eyes widened in shock at who she saw. "But since it's you, I guess I shouldn't expect anything else."

"W-What are you doing here?" Kumiko asked as she stood up from the floor, her eyes still big as saucers, but Shin simply smirked at her. Then, Kumiko gazed at Minoru and Kouzou, who were standing behind the visitor. "What is he doing here?"

"It's considered ill-mannered to ignore the visitors, or even to talk about someone when that person is in fact present." Shin pointed out as he stuffed his hands inside his black pants' pockets, leaving only his thumbs out. "As a teacher, you should set the example."

"Ah, don't annoy me!" Kumiko snapped as she waved a hand in the air, but Shin simply smirked at her behaviour. "I don't know what happened to you while you were in Africa, but I won't allow you to show up at my house just to annoy me!"

"Actually, he came here because he said he wanted to talk to me," a voice stated suddenly, and Kumiko looked to her side only to see her grandfather stepped inside the living room. "Long time no see, Sawada Shin."

"Ryuichiro-sama," Shin greeted with a bow, and the old man smiled lightly at him, "Thank you for welcoming me at your house despite of the late hour."

"No need for that, when Kumiko told me you were back in Japan, I was curious to see how you were." Ryuichiro replied before gazing at his granddaughter, who stared back at him. "But by all means sit down. I take it that you may drink now?"

"In certain occasions, yes," Shin answered, and Ryuichiro requested for Minoru to bring a bottle of sake, "Shall we go straight to business?"

"I believe you asked if it was possible for us to speak in private." Ryuichiro pointed out suddenly, and Kumiko looked at Shin only to notice that he was nodding, and then she turned to her grandfather when he called her name. "Kumiko, is it possible for you to continue with your work in your room?"

"What? I can't listen to your conversation?" Kumiko blurred out, but she took a deep breath when she noticed the way her grandfather was staring at her. Without bothering to look at Shin, Kumiko approached the table where her things were, gathered some books, papers and a pen before excusing herself, and leave the living-room.

"That guy…" Kumiko growled to herself as she trotted towards her bedroom, and she practically threw her things to her bed as soon as she was on top of the stairs that lead to her room. "How dare they to keep me in the dark?"

However, it was then that Ryuichiro's warm laughter echoed through the whole room, and Kumiko stared at the bottom of the stairs, and sighed. For some reason, she could not help but be cautious about whatever Shin could be preparing…

**To Be Continued…**


	14. Captivate Me With Words

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot. Also, this is based on _Gokusen 2_, but characters from _Gokusen 1_ will be present in the story. Ah, and the lyrics displayed in this chapter are from the song _Kizuna _owned by **Kamenashi Kazuya**.

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I want to thank **cra-z-stephie**, **NausicA**, **Youko-Kuramas-Kitsune**, **kami**, **lhotshot83** _and_ **KAT-TUN Lover** for everything. I hope that you all know that it's because of you that this story has been (and will continue to be) continued. Thank you for everything! Also, I hope you enjoy this chapter; I really enjoyed writing it although it has an episode as support.

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**Chapter 13**

_Captivate Me With Words_

Even though they were in mid March, the sky was clear, and there were absolutely no clouds at the horizon. There was a cool breeze, but since the day was strangely warm, people actually welcomed that Nordic breathe. Students could be spotted everywhere, making their way towards their schools, while adults could be seen rushing everywhere, doing their best not to be late for work.

"Good morning!" Keita sing-sang as he rushed towards Ryu along with the rest of his friends, who were really excited despite of the early hour. When Ryu turned to them, to greet them, Hayato asked for his friends to gather up.

"I made a promise." Hayato started as he raised his pinkie in front of his face, and Keita mimicked his actions while everybody else watched them. "Don't be surprise." there was a short pause, and Hayato suddenly surprised his friends with a wide smile before shouting, "We have a group date with some Momo High girls!"

"I set it up with Maki-chan!" Keita added as he stared at the sky, and both Kosuke and Tsuchiya immediately started cheering rather loudly, wide smiles on their faces. Ryu, on the other hand, continued to watch them without even blinking.

"Oh Take, you've gone far." Tsuchiya laughed as he reached out for the shorter member of the group, and wrapped an arm around Keita's shoulders. "You did well."

"Hey Ryu, you're coming too!" Hayato exclaimed as he pointed a finger at his friend at same time he emerged from behind Tsuchiya, and Ryu stared at him before nodding.

"Okay."

A moment of silence…

"Oi, that's rare; Ryu coming to a date." Keita commented as everyone stared completely stunned at Ryu, who did not understand why they were all making such a fuss.

"Yeah, he's always saying, 'I'll pass'." Tsuchiya mumbled as he straightened his back up, and Hayato hit him on the chest before shaking his head, saying that the imitation was not correct. Then Hayato imitated Ryu saying 'I'll pass' with a strange voice, and everyone laughed except for Ryu who decided to speak up.

"I just need to sit there, right?"

"Alright, let's get it on. We're going to make this the last memory of our high school lives! Meow! " Hayato started as he moved forward, and when everyone was ready to scream 'Fight-oh!' Kumiko appeared from out of nowhere, with a wide smile on her face.

"So, what's this about?" Kumiko asked, but her students immediately started saying that they were not going to tell her anything before walking away. Kumiko, when Ryu touched her shoulder in a silent greeting, called his name. "You're smiling more than usual. You're so _cute_!"

"Shut up." Ryu replied, and Kumiko immediately made a straight face. Ryu, at her reaction, let out a small laugh before turning around, and follow his friends, who were dancing like madmen, excited about the future group date.

Unfortunately, even though they had avoided their teacher at the beginning, students from 3-D had done a terrible job doing the same inside of the classroom. Due to their excitement, Hayato, Tsuchiya, Keita and Kosuke had ended up telling all of his classmates about the group date. However, since only ten girls were going, everyone started shouting ideas to find out who was going.

The commotion continued until a certain female's voice cut through the chaos, causing the students to stare at the teacher's desk, and see Kumiko there, arms crossed against her chest. An angry expression was on her face, and her eyes immediately started scanning all of her students.

"Group date?" she asked, and all of the students felt shivers run down their spines due to Kumiko's expression, but they all breathed in relief when she suddenly smiled before making her way towards them. "I understand how you feel."

"Eh?" everyone chorused, but Kumiko continued rambling.

"Today's White Day. It's a great chance for you guys to confess." Kumiko suddenly raised a fist in the air as she stared at her students, still with a smile on her face. "Do your best!"

When her students said nothing in return, Kumiko turned her back to them, and immediately started imagining how her encounter with teacher Kujo would be since she had given him chocolate on Valentine's Day.

"Ah?" Ryu asked as he watched Kumiko continue talking to herself quite animatedly, and the corner of his lips curled upwards while the rest of the class continued to watch their teacher. "What's she all happy about?"

The rest of the day went by with exhilaration and cheerfulness, since most of the students' were quite content with White Day. Kumiko herself had allowed that wave of happiness to conquer her, and she quickly went to the staff's room, to talk to teacher Hitomi about what her students were planning to do on that night.

Her mind went blank, however, when she heard a familiar voice calling out her name.

"Ah! Yamaguchi-sensei!"

Slowly Kumiko looked to her side, and her mouth dropped when she noticed that it had been teacher Kujo who had called for her. As the man approached her, Kumiko stood up from her seat, and gave a few steps forward.

"A-Are you finished with your meeting?" Kumiko questioned, asking the first thing that popped in her mind while she ignored the way that teacher Baba was watching her and Kujo.

"Yes and…" Kujo trailed off as he reached out for his bag, and Kumiko felt her heartbeat speeding up rather quickly as she watched his actions. Then, as Kujo continued struggling to find whatever he was looking for inside his bag, Kumiko bit her lower lip, and dropped her head in expectation. "Here."

"Yes!" Kumiko shouted as she raised both her hands to grab whatever Kujo was handing her, her eyes closed, but she ended up opening them when she felt the texture of the object she was now holding.

It was a manga…

"This book you lent me last time was really interesting," Kujo started as Kumiko stared in complete shock at the manga, her eyes widened, "Thank you." hesitantly Kumiko glanced at Kujo, who smiled warmly at her, "See you again."

"What do you mean 'see you again'?" Kumiko asked as she watched Kujo walking out of the staff room, still gripping the manga with both her hands. She was still too taken aback to even move an inch. "Ah, it's over."

With those words, Kumiko allowed herself to lose her balance, and sit on her chair, her hands resting on the desk as she continued to hold the book.

"My love is over…"

At those words, teacher Baba stood up from his seat, and rushed to Kumiko's side. For a moment he just stared at her heartbroken face, before resting a hand on the back of the math teacher's chair.

"That's too bad." he started, but his voice came out a bit too excited despite of what had just happened, and Kumiko looked away when she noticed how close he was to her. "Let's go for a mood-change."

"Where?" Kumiko inquired, though she still refused to look at Baba, who was still standing a bit too close for her liking. She looked at Hitomi, though, when the English teacher decided to speak up.

"Did you forget?" she asked with a smile, and she raised a pamphlet, "Today's the third-grade homeroom teachers' party."

"But I'm not in the mood to go drinking today." Kumiko moaned as she looked down again, sadness consuming her heart as she spoke, but Baba refused to give up. So, instead of allowing Kumiko to go to her corner of woe, he helped her to stand up from the chair before dragging her out of the staff room.

* * *

Even though the weather was quite warm, the students from Kurogin Gakuen had declared that they were to meet with the girls from Momo Gakuen at karaoke. Apparently they believed that that was the best way to spend the night. What Hayato and the others had not known was that Mariko was included in the list of ten girls that had decided to meet them.

All of them, except for Ryu, who gazed at the girl who was sitting close to the door looking rather uncomfortable about the whole arrangement, were extremely energized. Perhaps Mariko had only accepted to go because her friends had forced her to…

"Excuse me," the girl in the middle finally decided to speak up while the others looked rather hesitant, and she moved a bit forward as she glanced around, "did your whole class come here?"

"Yes!" various voices chorused, and Hayato, Keita, Tsuchiya and Kosuke stared at their sides only to see the rest of their classmates piling up in the corners of the room, "Nice to meet you!"

Even though he did find that situation slightly amusing, Ryu decided to stand up when his friends started introducing themselves. Without bothering to say a word, he walked towards the door, and motioned for Mariko to accompany him, something the girl did in a heartbeat.

"They look really excited." Mariko giggled as Ryu closed the door of the room behind them, but he simply glanced at her before shrugging. "I never expected to see you here though. I always thought you weren't into this sort of thing."

"Likewise," Ryu repeated, and Mariko chuckled at his serious tone.

"Well, my friends thought it would be interesting to meet with some students from Kurogin Gakuen, especially because they find bad boys simply irresistible, so…" Mariko smiled at him, "Before I knew it, I was being dragged here."

"Do you want to go to another karaoke room?" Ryu asked suddenly, and Mariko blinked at his question, "I mean…since we are indeed here, and it doesn't look as if we can do something else…"

"As long as you don't force me to sing…" Mariko trailed off, but Ryu simply lead her towards a vacant room. Once there, they sat in different sofas so that they were sitting across from each other, and Mariko smiled. "Hey, why don't you sing?"

"I don't think that's a good idea." Ryu replied, but Mariko simply reached out for the microphone that was on the sofa, beside her, and stood up. "Seriously, singing isn't my thing…"

"Well, I prefer to think that you sing better than me, which really isn't much difficult at all." Mariko retorted as she handed Ryu the microphone, "Besides it's just us, and I promise I won't laugh or tell the guys that you sang."

For a moment, the two of them just stared at each other, but eventually Ryu gave in, and grabbed the microphone with a sigh. Then, he chose a song, and cleared his throat while he watched Mariko returning to her seat.

"You owe me one." was all Ryu said, and Mariko nodded at him as the song started. However, truth to be told, nothing had prepared Mariko for what followed the first notes of the music, and she could swear that her heart had stopped beating when Ryu started singing.

"_No matter how much we consider the future,_

_No one can see the truth._

_Something is blocking my blank mind,_

_It's just a mistake that I've been repeating."_

As the song progressed, Mariko found it absolutely impossible to look away from Ryu. For someone who had refused to sing, behaving as if he had a horrible voice, he looked quite at easy with what he was doing. His face was relaxed, his back resting against the sofa as words continued leaving his lips in perfect harmony with the melody.

"_It's okay for my steps to continue, these hands have separated._

_Walking away from where you continue to live,_

_Until I become worn out I keep prolonging it_

_That time, that place, it will never disappear - this bond."_

On the meantime, Head Teacher Sawatari Goro was in the bathroom. The dinner with the staff was going quite well, and he could hardly wait for the moment when all of them would hand him 5,000 yen in order to pay their part of the dinner. However, when he stared at his watch, Sawatari had to admit that it was getting quite late.

"Ah, if I don't go home soon, I'll get yelled at by Sachiko-san." Sawatari groaned as he continued staring at his watch, and the tall young man beside him also decided to speak up, even though their issues had nothing in common.

"Ah, but Yukari-chan sure is cute." Tsuchiya happily pointed out, a wide smile on his face, and Sawatari turned his head to the student beside him, who looked back at him, and both of them nodded in greeting.

"Good evening."

Slowly, both males stared ahead of them before widening their eyes in shock. At same time, they looked at each other again, but while Sawatari let out a 'Tsuchiya?', the said student yelled a 'Saruodori?'

"It's Sawatari!" the Head Teacher quickly corrected, ignoring the alarmed expression on Tsuchiya's face, and he continued. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean 'what'?" Tsuchiya asked, but then he started laughing while Sawatari tried to hide himself, "The same thing as you."

When Sawatari started laughing, embarrassed by his question, Tsuchiya took the chance to turn around, and start running as fast as he could at same time he pushed the zipper up. Sawatari, noticing that the student was trying to escape, immediately started shouting for him to wait before rushing after him.

When he failed to catch Tsuchiya, however, Sawatari went to the rest of the teachers, and announced that the 3-D students were there. Tsuchiya, on the other hand, rushed to where his friends where, but ended up entering in the wrong room, where Ryu was just finishing his song, Mariko watching him, looking completely captivated by his voice.

"Ah! Ryu! Quick!" Tsuchiya shouted before grabbing Ryu's arm, and drag him out of the room without any other explanation. In confusion, Mariko followed them, and much for Tsuchiya's relief it did not take long for him to find the room where the rest of his friends were.

"I saw Head Teacher in the bathroom!" Tsuchiya announced after snatching the microphone that one of his friends was holding, and everyone went silent for a second or two. "Let's get out of here!"

Without needing to be told twice, the whole classroom started rushing out of the door, while Keita was forced to pull Kosuke away from one of the Momo High girls. Once outside, everyone decided to split up in order not to be caught by Sawatari.

Despite of the confusion, Hayato, Ryu, Keita, Tsuchiya, Kosuke and Mariko managed to stick together, and they only slowed their pace down once they were close to the railway. Tsuchiya, when he noticed that they were not being followed, immediately stopped running, his friends mimicking his actions while panting and wheezing.

"I was so surprised!" Keita panted while Kosuke whined about not managing to keep the girl's email address, but all of them widened their eyes in shock when they noticed a red light approaching them.

"Those are the guys!" a man with a blue apron shouted at the policeman who was accompanying him, and the five boys felt terror consume them while Mariko shifted closer to Ryu. "They left without paying!"

"What? What?" Hayato asked not understanding what was going on, "Tell me, what is it?"

In confusion, the boys turned around on their heels, ready to escape, but they were forced to stop when they noticed a second policeman approaching them from behind. They were completely surrounded!

"We forgot to pay!" Hayato suddenly shouted, and Tsuchiya made a face before continuing.

"Because we had to run for it."

* * *

Even though they already felt bad about running away without paying, none of the boys managed to escape from Kumiko's fulminating stare once she met them at the police-station. Too tired to come up with a retort, the boys resignedly allowed Kumiko to gaze at all of them with a disappointed look on her face.

"I can't believe you guys," Kumiko finally voiced her thoughts, her voice coming out low and strong, but it was Hayato who managed to gather enough strength to face his teacher as he stood beside Kosuke.

"We just forgot to pay."

"I…" Kumiko raised a hand, silently telling Hayato to keep quiet when she noticed that he was about to speak, and she started gazing at her five students again, "I thought you guys were going to the bowling alley for your group date. You even managed to drag Mariko into this."

"We were planning to do that…" Tsuchiya started, obviously referring to the bowling alley, but Keita was the one who finished the idea.

"But it wouldn't be any fun."

"Ah, director." a voice spoke suddenly right when Kumiko was about to retort Keita's words, but she straightened up when she noticed a police officer walking towards her, with a serious expression on his face.

"I'm sorry for the trouble." Kumiko apologized as she bowed, her students watching everything in silence, but the police simply informed her that she was allowed to take her students home. When Kumiko looked surprised at how easily her students would be allowed to walk away, the policeman explained.

"Odagiri's father negotiated with the other party."

At that explanation, everyone turned to Ryu, who simply started feeling too uneasy with the whole situation. However, it was only when they were walking down the hall to leave the police-station that Kumiko questioned if Ryu's father was able to influence the police.

"I think he's a big man in the police." Kosuke replied when Ryu refused to answer his teacher's question. When Kumiko let out a 'eh' of surprise, Ryu finally took a deep breath, and increased his pace.

"My father is irrelevant."

At those words, the group stopped their tracks, and watched as Ryu continued walking by himself only to stop and look down when a tall and strong man walked past him, towards Kumiko.

"I'm Odagiri Ryu's father," the man introduced himself with a strong voice, a solemn expression on his face, and Kumiko widened her eyes at the words. Even though she was not easily intimidated, Kumiko had to admit that that man did impose authority. "Are you Yamaguchi-sensei?"

At that question, Kumiko immediately answered with a short 'yes' and a bow, and Odagiri Shinya stared at her for a moment, before gazing at the students who were quietly standing behind their teacher. Then, he turned to his side, and gazed at this son's back.

"We're going home." then he turned to Kumiko again, "Excuse us."

As she watched Ryu following his father in silence, her students glancing at each others in confusion, Kumiko could not help but admit that Odagiri Shinya did seem to emanate respect and power.

"He seems like a scary dad." Kumiko whispered, and she heard Hayato sigh from behind her.

"I don't get along with that guy," he confessed, and Mariko glanced at him, not really liking the exhausted tone he had used to speak about Ryu's father. However, since silence was the only thing that answered Hayato's comment, Mariko could not help but wonder if everything was going to be alright even though something at the back of her mind was whispering that from that moment on things could only go wrong.

**To Be Continued…**


	15. Breakaway from Fragile Chains

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot. Also, this is based on _Gokusen 2_, but characters from _Gokusen 1_ will be present in the story.

* * *

I want thank **cra-z-stephie**, **lhotshot83**, **blueprincess16**, **KAT-TUN Lover** _and_ **Youko-Kuramas-Kitsune** for everything. You guys are unbelievable, and you better be aware that this story is going to be completed on this site because of you ) Thank you all!

* * *

**Chapter 14**

_Breakaway from Fragile Chains_

The morning that followed the 3-D students' arrest ended up being a tad too distressing. First, Odagiri Shinya had showed up at school, demanding for explanations about why his son had started going to school even though he had been prohibited of doing so. Kumiko, as Ryu's homeroom teacher, had been unable to control herself, and she quickly started answering back to any statement that Shinya would throw at her.

From that moment on, those who were watching the conversation could swear that Kumiko was defying Odagiri Shinya, although they continued to talk in a civilized way with one another. And when the Superintendent had informed Kumiko that Ryu was no longer going to show up at school, Kumiko had instantly tried to change her student's fate.

For her it made absolutely no sense that Shinya would forbid his son from going to school just because he had labelled Ryu's friends as being the 'bad students of Kurogin Gakuen.' But when Shinya declared that he was going to send Ryu to Canada as soon as graduation was over, Kumiko could not help but feel a wave of panic erupt from the bottom of her soul.

You fool, she wanted to say, but she still managed to control herself. Instead, she forced herself to question Shinya if his son had indeed agreed with all the plans his father had planned out for him. And even though Shinya had answered with an 'obviously', Kumiko could not help but think that the whole situation was a bit farfetched.

However, for Kumiko, the worst part had been the short minutes she had used to explain to her class that Odagiri Ryu was not going to return to school. All of them had received the announcement with silence, except for Ryu's group, who immediately understood that things had reached that point because of what had happened on the previous day.

"What do we do?" Hayato asked from his seat, a troubled look on his face, but Kumiko stood silent for a moment. She had been trying to come up with an idea…any sort of idea, but words seemed to have been cleaned up from her mind.

"We're all going to graduate together, right?" Hayato continued, and he slowly stood up from his chair, but the following words left his lips carrying anger and despair, "Are we going to leave him alone?"

"Obviously not," Kumiko retorted also raising her voice a little bit, "But I don't know what to do right now."

On that night, after classes, Kumiko found refugee in her room, remembering the words that Odagiri Shinya had told her that morning. He had told her that she was not going to have anything to do with Ryu after he graduated, but that he, as Ryu's father, would have to look after him forever.

However, even though she had never voiced her thoughts, the truth was that Kumiko did not agree with him.

"Kumiko," a voice spoke suddenly, and the teacher looked over her shoulder only to see her grandfather standing by the top of the stairs, "There's someone here to see you. May I tell him that he can enter?"

"S-Sure…" Kumiko answered, mentally wondering about who could possibly be visiting her at that hour, but her mind went blank when Shin showed up minutes later. Immediately, she stood up, "What are you doing here?"

"Mariko told me about what happened yesterday," Shin started in a calm tone, and Kumiko looked away as she winced. She had completely forgotten about explaining him what had happened. "And apparently a friend of hers, Yabuki, called her approximately an hour ago, telling her that Ryu was not going to return to school."

"Yeah, that's true…" Kumiko whispered as she continued looking down, "His father…he may be all powerful, but he's an idiot. He's actually thinking he's doing a good job by keeping Odagiri away from school."

"What are you going to do now?" Shin asked as he rested his left hand on his pants' pockets, and Kumiko glanced at him before looking away again, "Don't tell me you're reminiscing about what Odagiri's father told you, instead of trying to come up with a plan to help your student."

"It's easier said than done," Kumiko snapped, but Shin simply continued to observe her with a tranquil expression on his face, "I've been trying to come up with an idea, but it's not as if I can go to his house and kidnap him or something."

"Some say that two heads think better than just one," Shin asserted suddenly, and Kumiko blinked at his statement, "So, let's sit down, and try to come up with something together."

Before Kumiko could stop him, Shin sat down on the floor, and she cautiously mimicked his actions by sitting next to him. Then, as silence consumed her bedroom, the two young adults started thinking about what they could do.

* * *

He could still remember quite well how they had started getting along again, after a long time of misunderstandings. He could also recall with every detail all the situations he and his friends had gotten into, most of them due to fights. And yet there were many happy moments behind all that, like the one when they had teamed up to help Kumai at the restaurant.

After all, who would have thought that guys like them would actually dress up with aprons and help out in a Ramen Restaurant?

"_Well, I may mention it to my cousin, but I promise I won't tell anyone else that you bad boys are actually sweet and caring."_

A faint smile graced Ryu's face when those words echoed in his mind. Yes, now he could say that he did treasure all the situations he had gotten into with his friends. He could admit that he was going to miss everything they had done, even though some of the times he had been against fighting…

The sound of something hitting his glass-door forced Ryu to look over his shoulder, a confused expression on his face. Slowly and perhaps even a bit hesitantly, Ryu stood up from the floor, and opened the glass-door before stepping inside the balcony.

He had never expected to see what was in front of him.

"Hey, Ryu." a hushed voice cut through the silence of the night, and the boy looked down only to widen his eyes slightly in surprise at the sight of his best friends.

"What are you guys doing here?" he hissed back, ignoring the fact his friends were waving at him, behaving as if they had just not intruded.

"Rescue Team is here." Hayato answered, and Ryu had to fight against the urge of rolling his eyes when his friends made a pose. Instead, he let out a 'huh?' revealing that he was not understanding what was going on, though Kosuke was holding a rope around his shoulder.

"Forget about your dad and come out," Hayato instructed, and Ryu bit his lower lip as he rested his hands on the balcony's railing.

"My dad thinks of you guys as enemies," he admitted before shaking his head slightly, trying to ignore the looks his friends were giving him, "So I can't have you guys involved in this."

However, instead of agreeing with him, Tsuchiya, Kosuke and Keita simply encouraged him to escape. They had always been there for him…they were his friends, and all they wanted was to help him to get away from his father's claws…

"Let's go." Hayato said in a hushed voice, and Ryu looked down at them, debating about what he should do. He knew that his father would do something to his friends if he tried to run, but…

Without saying a word, Ryu rushed inside his room, and grabbed the jacket that was lying on his bed. As soundlessly as he could, Ryu walked towards the glass-door again, but paused for a moment as he looked over his shoulder. Yes, his father would probably get mad, but after going through all those adventures with his friends, Ryu had to admit he had grown addicted to freedom.

When he reached the balcony's railing, Ryu stared down at his friends, and without blinking he jumped off it, landing neatly on his feet. His friends, who had been watching everything in silence, smiled at him, but before Ryu could smile back the light of a flashlight hit him square on the face.

"Who's there?" one of the four guards that were standing behind the group asked suddenly, and Hayato let out a gasp of surprise. "What are you doing?"

Before Ryu could stop them, his friends dashed towards the guards, and started throwing punches and kicks everywhere. Occasionally one of the guards would grab one of his friends, who would get free by swinging a punch here and there. However, since Ryu had simply stood on the same spot, one of the guards managed to catch him, which resulted in his friends rushing to his aid.

"Let him go!"

Before Ryu knew what was going on, he was thrown to the ground. When he raised his head, he noticed that all of his friends were being held back by the guards. Even though everyone was telling him to run, Ryu continued lying on the ground, staring at them for a long period of time, wondering if he should get up. However, staying there would mean getting caught, and Ryu knew that if he was caught his friends' efforts would have been in vain.

So, Ryu did the only thing he could; he got to his feet, and run away as fast as he could only to stop his tracks once again after he had jumped over the fence that surrounded his house. For a moment, he simply stared over his shoulder, wondering if he should indeed run away, but as he recalled his friends' actions, Ryu forced his legs to move, and he run away.

After a long time wandering around through the city, too lost in his thoughts to think about where he was going, Ryu found himself strolling through a tunnel close to the railway. Since he had been walking without paying attention to his surroundings, Ryu ended up bumping into a guy.

"Ouch. Watch where you're going!" the guy Ryu had bumped into yelled in annoyance, and Ryu slowly looked at him over his shoulder. Then, ignoring the fact that four other guys were watching him, Ryu walked towards the leader with a blank expression on his face.

"You watch where you're going." he deadpanned, finally noticing how the rest of the guys were moving closer to him, and the leader narrowed his eyes in anger before letting out a 'what'd you say?'

"Don't be so arrogant!" a second member of the group exclaimed suddenly before punching Ryu right on the chin, throwing him to the ground. For a moment Ryu just stayed on the ground, listening as the guys started walking away before closing his hands into tight fists.

"_That's because you__ have to believe you can do it. And trust me, when you start believing in yourself, you'll see how strong you can be."_

Damn it! What was the point in telling Mariko that she had to believe in herself in order to see how strong she was, when he was doing such a poor job doing the same?

"Wait." Ryu mumbled as he slowly got to his knees, his hands still closed into tight fists. He had to believe! Just like he had told Mariko, he had to believe he could be strong even when standing alone! "I said wait!"

Without explaining what he wanted, Ryu walked towards the guy that was standing closer to him before raising a fist, and punch him directly on the cheek. Unbeknownst to Ryu though, Kumiko and Shin were searching for him after hearing from Shinya himself that he was going to file a lawsuit against Hayato, Tsuchiya, Kosuke and Keita because he had caught them trespassing his propriety. Not only that, but Shinya explained that they had done the worst possible thing by attacking security officers, and for helping his son escaping.

The fact that Kumiko's students were facing expulsion had also driven Kumiko to go and try to find Ryu, along with Shin, who had been with her during the entire time. The problem was that she did not know where to look.

"Odagiri, where are you?" Kumiko asked to herself as she stepped inside the arcade, Shin scanning the whole area in silence, but she blinked when she spotted Hayato and the others, minus Kosuke, only a few meters away from her, also looking around.

"C'mon," Shin spoke up as he rested a hand on Kumiko's shoulder before walking towards the spot where the students from Kurogin were.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kumiko questioned as she approached her students, and the three boys stared at her. "After all that, you still don't get it? Why are you wandering around here?"

"We came here looking for Ryu," Tsuchiya quickly explained, and Kumiko gazed at him before letting out a 'eh?'.

"We did something unnecessary." Keita continued as he looked down, almost embarrassed now that he actually had time to think about what they had done.

"We did this for Ryu," Hayato continued as he looked away for a moment, but when Kumiko turned to him he smiled though in a dryly way, "I guess I really am an idiot." then he looked at Kumiko, and bowed his head slightly, "Sorry."

"You guys…" Kumiko started, but she trailed off when Shin, once again, rested a hand on her shoulder, indicating that it was his turn to speak. Then, he looked at the three boys in front of him, and smiled slightly at them.

"Let's find Odagiri, and then we'll debate about what we should do."

"Hayato!" a voice shouted suddenly, and everyone looked to their sides, only to see a distressed Kosuke running towards them before pointing at some random direction over his shoulder. "I found Ryu."

Even though when they found Ryu, they ended up facing a scene where five guys seemed to be enjoying kicking one lonely individual, who was already lying on the ground, Kumiko did not think twice about stepping into the scene. This time, however, she did not have to use force in order to convince the troublemakers to leave her precious student alone.

And so, after making sure that Ryu could stand up despite of the injuries that covered his body, his friends managed to take him towards their usual bar. Kumiko and Shin accompanied them in silence since they were both thinking about what they should do in order to appease the situation.

However, when they were all sitting comfortably on various seats, in the bar, Kumiko and Shin still standing, Ryu finally raised his head, and started glancing at his friends. Then, the question they were all trying to avoid left his lips.

"How did it go with you guys?"

A pregnant silence followed that question, and Kumiko glanced at Shin, who aside from returning the look, nodded in silent agreement. Then, Kumiko bit her lower lip, and gazed at Ryu, who was still watching his quiet friends.

"It's okay, don't worry about it," she responded with a small smile, "I'll speak with the Superintendent and your father tomorrow."

"I see…" Ryu mumbled before looking down, and for a moment he just stared at his knees before whispering an "I'm sorry. I caused so much trouble."

Then, without allowing his friends to speak up, Ryu stood up from his seat, and despite of the pain that erupted from his chest, he started walking towards the front door of the bar. Tsuchiya, who had been listening to everything in silence, was the first to speak up.

"Ryu, where are you going?"

"Are you going home?" Kosuke asked as he stood up from his chair, but Ryu kept his back turned to them as he answered.

"Things will work out somehow."

"Why do you continue to keep everything bottled up?" Kumiko asked in a low tone as Ryu started walking towards the door again, and Shin glanced at her. "Why don't you tell us what's on your mind?"

Suddenly Ryu turned to her, and his eyes reflected the turmoil he was dealing with on the inside.

"I don't know myself." he confessed, and Kumiko took a deep breath. For a moment, Ryu looked down before gazing at his teacher and friends again, "I'm sorry…for breaking the promise."

When Ryu was just about to push the door forward, it was swung open, and a tired Mariko almost crashed into him. For a moment, the two of them just stood there, staring at each other until Kumiko's voice spoke from behind Ryu.

"Don't go! Come to my house!"

"Eh? Wait, his dad is connected to the police." Hayato pointed out as he and his friends stared surprised at their teacher, while Shin continued to watch Kumiko with an emotionless mask on his face.

"Who cares?" Kumiko asked in her strong voice, and as Ryu watched her, he stepped backwards so that Mariko could see what was going on as well. "Come!"

* * *

Someone had once said that 'friendship is a sheltering tree', and as he stared at the sky, Odagiri Ryu could not help but agree with that statement. His friends were his refuge…they were the place where he could find his inner strength, and be himself without being afraid of the consequences. However, his friends had only encountered troubles after helping him to escape from his house, and deep down Ryu knew he had to do something to help them.

The problem was that he did not know what.

Even though he heard someone approach him, Ryu ignored that person, and simply continued staring at the dark sky. He did not even wince when Mariko suddenly raised a piece of cotton, and started cleaning the wound he had next to his lip.

He knew that both Kumiko and Shin were watching them, but it was not as if he knew what to say to them. So, Ryu simply decided to continue resting against the doorframe, allowing Mariko to tend his injuries while he tried to discover what to do.

It was then, though, that Shin noticed Ryuichiro not too far from them, with Tetsu and the others. When their eyes met, Shin bowed his head slightly, and Ryuichiro turned to the men that were surrounding him. They both thought the same way; Kumiko was determined about the whole situation, and therefore they should all be quiet about it.

They were all aware of the danger that was luring from the shadows, but they knew that it was already too late to try to change something. And thus they had all wordlessly agreed to support Kumiko, and try to help her to be successful.

Slowly, Shin raised a hand, and touched Kumiko's upper-arm in order to have her attention. Quietly, the math teacher looked away from Ryu and Mariko to gaze at him, and she nodded, understanding what he was saying through that gesture.

It was time to use a Japanese saying; 'fallen blossom doesn't return to the branch, a broken mirror cannot be made to shine'. In order words, there was no point in crying over spilled milk; what was done, was done, and they now had to prepare themselves to face the consequences.

However, truth to be told, and even though Kumiko was not quite comfortable feeling that way, she had to admit that with Shin by her side, she felt like she could face one hundred Odagiri Shinyas, and not fear the outcome of that fight.

**To Be Continued…**


	16. The Strongest of all Blossoms

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot.

* * *

I want to thank **Azalie-Kauriu**, **cra-z-stephie**, **KAT-TUN Lover**, **lhotshot83**, **NausicA** _and_ **Youko-Kuramas-Kitsune** for everything; you guys are fantastic D. Also, the end is near; I hope you guys enjoy these last chapters. Thank you for everything!

* * *

**Chapter 15**

_The Strongest of all Blossoms_

The following day came a bit too quick for some of the people that were resting inside the Oedo's household. Kumiko, the first one to wake up, had almost screamed when she raised her head, and noticed that while she had slept on her bed, Shin had ended up dozing off on the floor, right beside her bedstead.

Even though she had been seconds away from punching Shin for actually sleeping in her room, Kumiko had managed to stop herself when she noticed (much for her embarrassment) how cute he looked as he slept. In fact, she could swear she had lost a minute or two just watching the young man sleeping soundlessly on the floor.

After getting up, and walking to the bathroom to dress up, Kumiko made her way through the hall, and when she encountered Minoru she requested for him to go wake Shin up. Then, Kumiko quietly made her way towards the living room, but a squeal almost left her lips when she spotted Ryu sleeping on the same spot she had last seen him before going to bed, Mariko also asleep with her head on his legs.

"Aw how cute!" Kumiko cooed as she watched the two students sleeping peacefully, but she still noticed the open first-aid kit that was lying close to Ryu. "Man, I wish I had a camera…"

"Ojou!" Tetsu shouted suddenly, and Kumiko noticed how Ryu jerked awake at the sudden voice while Mariko stirred. Without actually thinking about what she was doing, Kumiko turned around, and smacked Tetsu on the top of his head at same time she roared his name.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, screaming like that at this hour?" she yelled, and Tetsu immediately cowered in fear. Ryu, on the other hand, when he felt a weight on his legs, looked down only to notice Mariko's eyelids fluttering open. He watched as a confused look took over the girl's facial features until she moved her eyes to look at him.

"Ah! Sorry!" Mariko quickly apologized at same time she straightened up, but Ryu simply looked away while the girl looked down, a deep shade of red conquering her usual pale cheeks.

"I'm sorry ojou, but…your students are here!" Tetsu exclaimed as he raised both his hands in front of his face, protecting himself from any possible blow Kumiko could throw at him.

"What?" Kumiko asked in surprise at same time she quieted down, and Tetsu quickly nodded, an anxious expression still on his face. "Tell them to come in."

Moments later everyone was sitting in the living room, Shin and Mariko included, sitting beside Kumiko and Ryu respectively. The rest of the Kurogin students were sitting in front of them, all staring at Ryu, and most likely waiting for him to say something.

"I'm sorry." Ryu apologized as he looked at all of his friends "I ended up getting all of you involved."

"Don't worry about that." Keita answered in a quiet tone, and Hayato nodded before speaking up as well.

"It's all because we did a stupid thing."

"There's no need for you to feel responsible." Tsuchiya continued with a short nod, which Ryu returned though a bit hesitantly, and Kosuke took the opportunity to look around.

"But Yankumi's house is amazing!"

"Shall we forget that subject?" Shin spoke up as Kumiko tried to say something that could turn her students' attention to something else rather than her residence, and the math teacher glanced at him. "We are here to try to think about something we can all do to help Odagiri."

"Ojou," a voice spoke up, and everyone watched as Minoru walked inside the living room, and bowed slightly as he stared at Kumiko, "a person by the name of Odagiri's here."

Tension immediately started building up inside the living room after that announcement, and everyone instantly looked at Ryu, who simply widened his eyes in shock. Kumiko and Shin shared a look before nodding, and they quickly stood up.

"Guys, go hide somewhere," Kumiko instructed as she glanced at her students before gazing at Mariko, making sure that the girl knew she was included in the group, "Don't leave unless I tell you to."

"We'll take care of this." Shin added with a short nod, and the students gazed at each others before doing what they were told. Without wasting much time, they rushed towards a shōji from where they could peep occasionally without raising any avoidable attention.

Moments later, Kumiko and Shin, in the presence of Kouzou, Tetsu, and Minoru welcomed Shinya and Yuriko Odagiri, who they had quickly leaded to the living-room. The tension that continued to emanate from that division was almost palpable as both Kumiko and Shinya stared at each other in the eye.

"I never knew my son's homeroom teacher had such a background." Shinya declared, but Kumiko did not even blink. "I had you investigated. You're the next in line, right? I would like to know why such a person wanted to become a teacher." there was a moment of silence, "Please return my son. He's here, right?"

There was another moment of stillness since Kumiko simply refused to answer back, and Shinya narrowed his eyes slightly before he decided to continue.

"If not, I'll sue you as the kidnaper."

As he listened to his father threatening to call the police, and arrest everyone inside the house, Ryu felt his heart skip a beat. He did not know what to do, but he certainly would not allow any harm to reach that place when Kumiko had done so many things for him.

"I do not intend to forgive your students for what they've done." Shinya continued in a strong voice, and Ryu gazed down for a second when he felt a hand reaching out for his. Then, he glanced at Mariko, who was staring at Kumiko and Shin before doing the same, "I hope you're ready to take responsibility for it as their homeroom teacher."

Then, the moment Ryu feared arrived. As he watched Kumiko staring without any sort of apprehension at his father, he entwined his fingers with Mariko's and squeezed her hand, though he was not doing it deliberately. He simply needed to hold onto something as he waited for Kumiko to say what he did not want to hear.

"I am."

As soon as those words left Kumiko's lips, Ryu let go off Mariko's hand, and stood up, revealing himself from behind the shōji. He refused to let his father win. He refused to let his father prejudice those who were important to him!

When his parents turned to him, Ryu took a deep breath, and stared at his father in the eye. All of his friends were now standing behind of him, and Ryu knew they were ready to do anything to help him.

This time, however, it was his turn to do something for his friends.

"Please, forgive them." Ryu requested without showing any sort of fear, as he recalled how Kumiko had faced his father. "They did it for my sake."

"Stop being foolish," Shinya advised after he listened to his son's request, "What they did was a crime."

For a moment all Ryu did was to stare at his father, who looked so superior even though he was sitting on the floor. He knew that there was nothing he could do in order to change his fate, but deep down, he was alright with it. All he wanted was to try to appease the whole situation, for the sake of his friends and teacher.

"Please…" Ryu pleaded as he bowed in respect, his eyes no longer connected with his father's, "Don't let them be expelled."

"Why do you care so much about this bunch?" Shinya questioned as he stared strangely at his son's bowed head, but instead of answering, Ryu raised his head at same time he took in a silent deep breath.

"I won't go to Kurogin, either." he promised, and his friends widened their eyes in surprise at his words, "I won't attend the graduation ceremony, either. I'll listen to everything you say. So…please…"

Once again, Ryu bowed his head down, knowing that that was the only way he could convince his father not to go ahead with the charges he had planned. At least, that was what he hoped.

However, when his father spoke that Ryu would have indeed to listen to his every word, and stop wandering around with his friends, Kumiko stood up from her seat, Shin watching her in silence. Then, she asked Shinya if he indeed wanted to know why she had become a teacher when she was, in fact, the next generation of the Oedo family.

Even though he was listening to her as Kumiko explained that it had been because her grandfather, who, unlike Odagiri Shinya, had not forced his way of doing things on to his descendents, Shin was inwardly feeling proud of her. And when Kumiko pleaded for Shinya to listen to his son, and actually pay attention to what he was thinking on that right moment and to what he wanted to do, Shin could not help but glance at Shinya.

As usual, clumsy and loud Yamaguchi Kumiko was actually making sense.

"I'm telling you to stop assuming things," Kumiko continued in her strong and determined tone of voice, and Shinya stared at her with a serious face, "and accept his words as they are." suddenly Kumiko turned to Ryu, "Odagiri, what do you want to do? It's your life. I don't want to say anything irresponsible, but…will you really not regret what you said? As long as you don't tell us your feelings, nothing will change. Are you really okay with being separated from all of us? Aren't they your lifelong friends?"

For a moment, Ryu just stood on the same spot, head down as a couple of tears finally managed to get free, and roll down his cheeks. Then, before someone could understand what he was doing, Ryu allowed himself to fall to his knees, head still bowed.

"I want to go to school." he confessed, without raising his head, but new tears started prickling his eyes, "I want to graduate with everyone. I used to think…school was useless. I thought it wasn't worth it. But…" tears started streaming down his cheeks, "Before I noticed, I found school fun. When I think that it's only going to be a little while that I'll be able to do silly things with these guys…everything…seems important to me."

There was a moment of silence, during which everyone simply continued to observe him, and Ryu took the opportunity to carry on.

"When I was alone…I thought about a lot of things. But all I could think of was things like graffiti on the blackboard…my classmates…" Ryu raised his eyes to look at Kumiko, "My teacher's face…" then he straightened his back in order to stare at his father, "Yamaguchi taught me that Hayato, Tsucci, Take and Hyuuga…Mariko, everyone…are my lifelong friends! So…I ask you…Let me graduate, along with them. Please."

Suddenly Ryu dropped his head, in an unvoiced plead.

It was also then that Ryuichiro finally decided to reveal himself, and step inside the living room. Aside from agreeing with Kumiko's words, he decided to let Shinya know that he did believe that Ryu had great friends, and that even though he agreed that they had not used the best way to do things, he believed that doing what they did was something that not all people would do.

It had also been then that Hayato had surprised everyone by approaching the spot where Ryu was kneeling, and do the same thing while requesting for Shinya to let his son graduate with them. Without thinking twice, Tsuchiya, Keita and Kosuke did the exact same thing which forced Ryu to glance at all of them, feeling both grateful and touched by their actions.

"Odagiri-san," Shin finally decided to speak up, and Shinya looked at him, "isn't it okay to feel proud as a father that your son has such great friends?"

Thankfully, despite of the tension that still hanged around in that living room, Shinya ended up requesting for Kumiko to look after his son at school at same time he announced he was dropping the charges. Everyone who, up until that moment, had been holding their breath let out sighs of relief at those words while the Kurogin students finally raised their heads.

Then, when his parents made their way towards the front door of the house, Ryu stood up from the floor, and thanked Ryuichiro, Kumiko and Shin before turning to his friends, who were watching him with smiles on their faces. He also glanced at Mariko, who had been standing behind them, with a hand resting against her chest.

"See you later." Ryu said with a small smile, and all of his friends smiled widely at him while nodding in agreement. Then, Ryu glanced at Mariko again, and noticed how her eyes were shinning with unshed tears, but the girl still managed smile at him.

After another bow, Ryu went after his parents, and Kumiko smiled widely at their victory before turning to face her grandfather. The eyes hers ended up finding, however, belonged to the young man who had never left her side during the whole time. And for the first time in her life, Kumiko allowed herself to smile broadly at him in order to reveal how thankful she was for his presence.

And as she continued staring at Shin, who smirked back at her, Kumiko could not help but wonder if he could see the pink shade that was now paining her cheeks. However, just for that one time, she had decided that she did not care.

* * *

"You did _WHAT_?"

"Oi, don't raise your voices." Kumiko scolded as she stared at both Uchiyama and Noda, "Gee, there's no need for such an uproar. Besides, nothing really happened, ne, Sawada?"

"Don't bother me…" Shin replied, and Kumiko pouted at his reply before turning her head to Uchiyama and Noda, as both of them started mumbling things. While she was not looking, Shin allowed his lips to form an amused smirk.

"Well, we just thought that…since you're older…you'd be more conscious about things." Noda tried to elucidate, and Kumiko raised an eyebrow at his explanation. "I mean…to face a guy who is connected with the police?"

"Well, it's not as if I could allow Odagiri to face his father all by himself." Kumiko interjected with a small shake of her head, "I wanted to help him, just like his friends, and my house was the safest place for him to be."

"Still, you could have taken him to Shin's or something." Uchiyama pointed out, and Kumiko turned to Shin, whose smirk vanished instantaneously, "Unless, of course, you forgot that you _could_ haven taken him to Shin's, and avoided most of the confusion that _you_ created."

"Ah! I forgot about that!" Kumiko exclaimed as she raised a hand to her lips, and both Uchiyama and Noda shared a knowing look before shaking their heads, amused smiles on their faces. "Ah! Don't do that!"

"Shut up, people are staring." Shin spoke suddenly, and Kumiko glanced at him before gazing around, and she turned red as soon as she noticed that everyone else inside the restaurant was indeed staring at her.

"Same old Yankumi," Noda laughed warmheartedly, and Uchiyama quickly followed him, also laughing loudly, and Kumiko narrowed her eyes at their actions. "But you know, it's refreshing to see that some things just don't change."

"Don't laugh at me!" Kumiko shouted suddenly, and both young men shut up almost instantly while Shin rested his chin on his hand.

"If you want to cause a scene, do it outside." Shin commented, and Kumiko looked at him ready to snap when her brain finally processed what he had said, and she quickly started scanning the restaurant. Once again, everyone was staring shocked at her.

"You guys really enjoy humiliating me…" Kumiko mumbled as she looked down, warmth spreading through her cheeks, and Shin snorted at her murmuring before glancing at Uchiyama and Noda, who smiled back at him. "Next time don't bother to invite me."

"Actually, there is a reason why we called you here." Noda started, and Kumiko blinked at the man's serious tone, and Uchiyama nodded in agreement, a solemn expression on his face. "We already told Shin, but we decided that you deserved to know as well."

"What's wrong?" Kumiko asked, and both Noda and Uchiyama shared a look.

"We're going to return to Africa." Uchiyama announced, and Kumiko promptly dropped her chin in surprise. "We thought a lot about it, and we have taken care of everything we had to do. Even if something unpredictable happens, we'll probably be back in time for the exams."

"We don't know how long we're going to stay there, though." Noda continued, and Kumiko turned to him at same time she mentally commanded herself to close her mouth. "It will probably take a month or so. We can't really miss more classes than that."

"W-When are you leaving?" Kumiko asked as she glanced at her two former students, who waited a few seconds before answering.

"We're actually waiting for Shin to tell us something before we decide the date." Uchiyama answered before gazing at the said boy, who had been listening to the conversation in silence. "We want to go together, because this is our project."

"T-Together?" Kumiko stammered before turning to Shin, a shaken look on her face, "Sawada, why…why didn't you tell me about this? Were you…were you thinking about leaving Japan without telling me?"

"Don't be an idiot," Shin retorted, with his chin still resting on the palm of his hand, but Kumiko continued to stare at him with the same expression on her face, "Of course I was going to tell you. I simply didn't see the point in doing it without knowing when we're going."

"And? Did you come up with a date?" Kumiko asked, feeling too nervous about the whole thing. She simply could not believe that he was going to walk out of her life. Even though that was not the first time he did it, the feelings behind that departure were different. Kumiko did not understand how much they had changed, but after all they went through she had to admit that she did not want to see him go.

She wanted him to stay, and offer her the same feeling he had emanated while she had been facing Odagiri Shinya.

She wanted to feel that safe again!

"Sawada!" Kumiko cried out when Shin refused to answer her, fretfulness and agony finally kicking in, and taking over her limbs. "Answer me!"

"I'll see you guys later." Shin finally decided to say, and both Uchiyama and Noda nodded in understanding. Kumiko, on the other hand, watched him standing up, eyes tearing up due to the nervousness that was running through her veins.

"Sawada!" she shouted again as she also got up, but when she was about to follow Shin out of the restaurant, Noda grasped her wrist, forcing Kumiko to look at him. "Let me go! I need to know!"

"Leave him alone for now, Yankumi." Noda replied in a serious tone, and Uchiyama stared at his former teacher as he rested his elbows on the table, fingers entwined in front of his chin.

"He'll tell you when he's ready."

Silently Kumiko stared at the door Shin had used to leave the restaurant, her heart beating painfully against her rib cage. The only problem about the whole situation was that even though she knew that Shin would eventually tell her, she was not sure she would ever be ready to let him go.

**To Be Continued…**


	17. Your Words Whispering To My Soul

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot.

* * *

I want to thank **lhotshot83**, **cra-z-stephie**, **NausicA**, **blueprincess16** _and_ **KAT-TUN Lover**for your constant support and help. You are absolutely outstanding, and this fic certainly wouldn't be here if it weren't for you guys. Thank you so much for everything!!

* * *

**Chapter 16**

_Your Words Whispering To My Soul_

Excitement was definitely hanging on the halls of Kurogin Gakuen. Most of the third-year students could be seen with wide smiles on their faces while anticipation created goose bumps on their skin since there were only four days left before the graduation ceremony. Even the teachers had been influenced by the atmosphere, because the ceremony would represent the transition to the new Kurogin Academy, which was going to open in April.

After listening to Head Teacher and Superintendent's speeches, Kumiko had been forced to admit that it would probably be safer to use the time of her class to practice for the graduation ceremony. After all, only heavens knew how much her students actually needed to go through that rehearsal.

And truth to be told, as soon as she called them to enter in the classroom like they would enter when called during the ceremony, and noticed that they did not even know how to walk straight and that neither did they know the school's anthem, Kumiko knew that there was a long path to trade.

During the rest of the time, Kumiko tried to get her students to understand the importance behind the graduation ceremony, but when time ended, she realised that her students were not that interested in her efforts. And that only triggered her anger, but since her class had left as soon as the class was over, she was unable to lecture them.

"Seriously, I don't get her." Tsuchiya started, referring to Kumiko, "She told us to sing the anthem, which none of us knew that existed, and then she ended up admitting that she did not know it either."

"And she only noticed we were teasing her at the end!" Kosuke laughed loudly as the five students from Kurogin walked down the park, "Man, I think I'm going to miss this sort of thing when we leave…"

"Oi, I just remembered," Hayato started as he stopped his tracks, and his friends looked at him in confusion, "We haven't visited Kumai-san for quite some time. What do you guys say about having lunch there?"

"Now that's a good idea!" Keita agreed with a quick nod while both Tsuchiya and Kosuke cheered, before gazing at Ryu, who had been listening to the conversation in silence. "By the way, have you been with Mariko-chan ever since we faced your father?"

"Was I supposed to?" Ryu asked back, noticing the way his friends were watching him, and Tsuchiya shook his head before he started fanning himself.

"Ryu, Ryu, Ryu, the girl is probably all worried with you!" he pointed out, "I mean, she probably doesn't even know that you're back in school. We ought to go to Kumai-san's, and tell her about it."

"Yosh, let's go then!" Hayato shouted suddenly before turning around on his heels, and all of his friends quickly followed him except for Ryu, who maintained his tranquil pace.

It took less than fifteen minutes for the boys to arrive at Kumai's Ramen Restaurant, and they promptly greeted everyone as soon as they entered. Kumai, who had been preparing some ramen behind the counter, welcomed them with a wide smile and a quick nod.

"Long time no see." Kumai commented as he continued preparing a customer's meal, and the boys quickly approached a vacant table, "I was beginning to think you had forgotten how to get here."

"Nonsense," Kosuke replied as he waved a hand in dismiss, and he quickly smirked, "I'm kind of hungry. Can I have a shiitake pork ramen?"

"Oi, Kumai-san, where's Mariko?" Hayato asked as he glanced around in search for the slightly plump girl, his hands clasped in front of his chin, and Kumai looked at him.

"Ah, my siblings were annoying me because they wanted some ice-cream, so I asked Mariko-san if she minded going with them." he quickly explained, "They'll be back shortly. On the meantime, why don't you guys tell me what you want to eat?"

"May I have shiitake chicken ramen?" Keita asked right when Tsuchiya was about to say what he wanted, but it was also then that Kumai's siblings walked inside the restaurant, each one of them eating a different ice-cream.

"We're back!" they chorused before rushing to Kumai's side, and their older brother immediately forgot about what he was doing as he turned to them, a small smile on his face.

"Welcome back." he greeted before noticing that someone had not walked inside the restaurant, after his siblings, "Tell me, where's Mariko-san?"

"Mariko-chan said she needed to talk to her friends, when they showed up." Aya answered before licking her ice-cream, and Kumai nodded in understanding before looking at the students from Kurogin, and notice that they had all grown quiet.

"Do you think…?" Hayato started, but when Ryu simply looked back at him and nodded, he stood up from his chair, "Listen, guys, we have to go. We'll be back in a few minutes."

"Hey, we may not understand what's going on, but we're coming with you." Keita explained as he got to his feet, but he looked at Ryu when he stood up as well.

"There's no need for you guys to come." he calmly answered while Hayato rushed to Aya's side, and asked if she knew to where Mariko and her friends had headed to. "We'll be back in a few minutes."

With that said, both Hayato and Ryu stormed out of the restaurant, and started running down the street, avoiding everyone who appeared in front of them during the process. As they continued sprinting down the road, Hayato informed Ryu that Aya had said something about a playground that was not too far from where they were.

"Hayato, once we get there, we have to hide." Ryu started before jumping to his right in order to avoid a couple and their child, "This is something that Mariko has to do on her own. We can't jump in."

"Huh? Why? You know that those girls are crazy!" Hayato exclaimed as he continued running side-by-side with Ryu, who simply glanced at him, "Okay, fine, we'll stay hidden, but if something happens, we show up."

It did not take long for the two boys to reach the said playground, and they quickly spotted Mariko with Akemi's group, standing in the middle of the park. Instinctively, Ryu grabbed Hayato's arm, and pulled him towards the closest tree. When they were both sure they were concealed by the tree's trunk, they decided to take a peek, and observe what was going on.

"Why did you drag us here for?" Akemi asked in a disgusted tone, while her friends stared at Mariko as if she was something completely worthless. "I have better things to do with my time to actually see you trying to utter a full sentence."

"I…May I speak to you alone?" Mariko asked all of a sudden, and Akemi glanced at her friends, who simply looked back at her. Without saying a word, Akemi walked past Mariko, and both Hayato and Ryu moved backwards when they noticed that she was walking towards their tree.

"Okay, we're alone, so speak!" Akemi ordered as she turned to Mariko, and crossed her arms against her chest. Quietly Hayato peeked from behind the tree, but ducked when he noticed that while Akemi had her back to the tree Mariko was facing it, which made it easy for her to notice them in case they tried to look again.

And they could not risk getting caught.

"I…I just wanted to ask you…" Mariko trailed off, and took a long deep breath before gazing at Akemi, who stared back at her with a superior look on her face, "Is it possible for you to…stop doing what you do?"

"What? You want me to stop picking on you?" Akemi asked, and when Mariko nodded, she started laughing, "Get real! I cannot believe you called me here just for that. Well, if you need to know, the answer is no, I'm not going to stop picking on you."

"But…this whole thing doesn't make sense." Mariko started after a short moment of silence, and Hayato was about to sneak a quick look when Ryu grabbed him by the back of his collar, and forced him to stay still. "I mean…we're not even on the same classes, and…I know what you think of me, but…do you really find it necessary to bully other girls just to stand out? I mean, you already do!"

"Please, as if I would ever need to pick on ugly girls like you just because I want to be on the spotlight." Akemi sneered before grabbing one of Mariko's curls, and yank it hard. "I do it because it's simply delectable to see how you, ugly girls, try so hard to be like the ones who were blessed with beauty and money."

"How can you feel pleasure in bullying others?" Mariko inquired as she closed her hands into fists, feeling nervousness finally kicking in, but Akemi simply snorted, "Haven't you…haven't you ever felt the need to change?"

"Change? Me? Out of the two of us, who needs a make-over is you," Akemi replied as she pointed at Mariko, who looked away, "You seriously need to lose a lot of weight, and let's not talk about that hideous bush you call hair! Besides, in case you haven't noticed, the girls and I don't terrorize every unattractive girl that we see. We just have…more fun when we mock you. Busu!"

"But why?" Mariko asked before taking a deep breath, and look at Akemi in the eye. "I have been trying to change, and I know that if you…I know that if you tried to change as well, you'd see that none of this makes sense!"

"Listen Sawada, I _don't_ want to change." Akemi declared before resting her hands on her hips, "And do you know why it feels so good to taunt you? Because it's delicious to see how you always step forward when it comes to protect someone else, and end up doing a lousy job protecting yourself. It's amusing to see how in the end, despite of the bravery you displayed at the beginning, you behave as if all you want is for your knight in shinning armour to show up on his white stallion, and take you away."

At that statement, Mariko lowered her head, and closed her eyes. That was not good. She was allowing those words to get to her, when she had promised to herself she would not let that happen while facing Akemi.

"_That's because you have to believe you can do it.__ And trust me, when you start believing in yourself, you'll see how strong you can be."_

When those words echoed through her mind, almost as if they were whispering a secret, Mariko closed her fists even tighter so that her knuckles turned white. She could not allow that continue. She had to believe, just like Ryu had believed!

"A close friend of mine," Mariko started, unaware that the said friend was actually closer to her than she thought, "once told me that in order to become stronger, you have to believe in yourself."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Akemi asked as she raised an eyebrow, and Mariko took a deep breath before raising her head, and look at the girl that was standing in front of her. "I'm starting to wonder if this whole conversation has a purpose."

"I think that you have nice side too." Mariko continued, ignoring Akemi's words, "You continuously try to cover it up by taunting others, but… I think that deep down you want to change as well. I think that…deep down you know that what you're doing is wrong…"

"Had I known that you were going to drag me here just to listen to a lullaby, I would have told you to sod off or something." Akemi commented suddenly, and Mariko looked down. Swiftly, Akemi grabbed a curl, and this time Mariko winced when the other girl yanked it harder than before. "Next time think twice about asking me to talk to you in private."

Without saying anything else, Akemi turned to her side, and walked towards her friends before telling them that it was time to go. For a moment Mariko expected for them to approach her again, especially when she heard the rest of the girls asking if they could bully her for a little bit, but none of that happened.

Akemi simply repeated that it was time for them to go without ever looking back.

When the group of girls from Momo Gakuen disappeared behind a tree, Mariko allowed a shaky breath to leave her lips at same time she lost all strength on her legs. As she fell on the ground, Mariko continued staring at the spot where Akemi and the others had disappeared before closing her eyes, and she then took a deep breath.

"_Things are too quiet."_

_"Shut up."_

_"But what if they are doing something to her?"_

When those hushed tones reached her ears, Mariko looked at the tree beside her, and entitled her head slightly in confusion. Slowly and unsteadily, since her legs felt like butter, Mariko stood up, and walked towards the tree, ready to look at whatever could be on the other side. However, when she was just about to look over the trunk, a familiar head popped from behind it, and Mariko let out a shriek in surprise at same time she lost her balance.

"Ah! Mariko! Sorry!" Hayato apologized as he watched the girl falling on the ground, and he quickly emerged from behind the tree. "I was just going to take a look, and see if everything was alright!"

"Ow…" Mariko groaned as she rubbed her lower back, still sitting on the ground, and she looked up at Hayato with an expression of pain on her face, "W-What are you doing?"

"Well, Kumai-san's sister told us that you had left with some friends, and we kind of thought about those girls from your school…" Hayato started explaining, and Mariko nodded, but when she was about to say something, Ryu emerged from behind the tree. "We weren't going to butt in unless they tried to do something to you."

"Are you alright?" Ryu asked as he walked towards the fallen girl, and extended a hand towards her. After nodding in reply, Mariko reached out for his hand, and stood up when he gently pushed her upwards.

"Thank you," Mariko thanked with a timid smile, but Ryu said nothing in reply, and Hayato watched the two of them for a moment before deciding to clear his throat. In confusion, his two friends turned to him, but Hayato simply stared at something between them.

At his actions, both Ryu and Mariko looked down, and while the girl flushed a deep shade of red, Ryu simply let go off her hand before glancing to his side. In an attempt to hide his amused grin, Hayato walked to Mariko's side, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"You know something, Mar, I'm quite proud of you!" he announced, and the girl turned to him though her cheeks were still tinted with a deep shade of red, "You actually decided to face those girls all by yourself. But hey, who was that friend that you mentioned?"

"Stop being annoying," Ryu suddenly stepped in as he stuffed his hands inside his pants' pockets, and Hayato looked at him before smirking, and gaze at Mariko again.

"You know, if you guys ever decide to start dating, you have my full support." he stated, and he almost burst in laughter when Ryu glared at him while Mariko's face became as red as a tomato. "Hey, don't give me that look, I'm just saying—"

"Shut up." Ryu ordered in a slightly strong tone, but Hayato could see that his friend was just trying to stop him from saying anything else.

"Fine, fine, I won't say anything else…for now." Hayato added in a whisper so that only Mariko could hear, and then he looked at the girl beside him, a wide smile on his face. "So, what do you say about returning to Kumai-san's restaurant? He's probably very worried about you."

"Yes…" Mariko answered, and since Hayato still had his arm resting around her shoulders, she started walking when he did. Ryu, on the other hand, was already walking ahead of them, probably feeling too irritated to even look at his best friend.

However, as they walked out of the park, none of the three students noticed the figure that was watching them close to the swings.

* * *

With a sigh, Kumiko sat down on her bed, already dressed in her pyjamas before glancing down at the picture she was holding. That was the picture she had taken with Shin's class before they graduated. Her eyes quickly scanned all the happy faces before settling down on Shin, who was standing right beside her.

He had his trademark smirk playing on his lips, his hands stuffed inside his pants' pockets, looking cool as always. Kumiko herself was smiling widely, showing how proud she was of that class. She was still proud of them, especially after hearing from Noda and Uchiyama about how well everyone was despite of occasional obstacles.

Slowly, Kumiko rested her head on her pillow, her eyes never leaving Shin's figure. She seriously did not understand when or why she had become so dependable of his presence. It was true that somehow he did make her feel safe, probably as much as he was capable of making her go insane over his antics.

But the problem about that whole situation was the fact that it was not normal for her to feel that way. Sawada Shin was, after all, a dear friend of hers, and she was unable to look at him as something other than a student.

Or so she had thought…

"Ah, this guy drives me crazy!" Kumiko groaned as she rested the picture frame against her chest, and covered her face with both her hands. "What the hell is going on with me?"

"Someone once said that 'life is to be fortified by many friendships. To love and be loved is the greatest happiness of existence'." a voice declared suddenly, and Kumiko raised her hands and watched as her grandfather stood by the stairs, "I apologize for intruding, but I did ask if I could come up."

"Grandpa!" Kumiko exclaimed, feeling slightly self-conscious, but Ryuichiro simply smiled at her. Determined to change the subject, Kumiko asked the first thing that popped inside her mind, "What did you mean by that?"

"Oh, you just looked like someone who's going through a tough moment." Ryuichiro stated as he walked towards his granddaughter's side, and sat down on the mattress, "You see, Kumiko, I thought you were thinking about your students since you're holding their picture."

"Oh, yeah…" Kumiko whispered as she grabbed the picture frame with both her hands, and smiled slightly as she stared at the picture, Ryuichiro watching her for a moment before smiling at the look on her face.

"But I guess I can't call them students anymore, can I?" he asked, and Kumiko looked confusedly at him, "After all, they are all adults now. They may be someone else's students, but they are not your students anymore."

"I'll always see them as my students," Kumiko disagreed as she glanced down at the picture again, and before she could stop herself, she run a finger down Shin's face, "They were my first class…my first precious students…"

"Oh, I understand you may regard them as people who were very important to you," Ryuichiro started, and once again Kumiko gazed at him, "but I don't think you should forget that they are now young adults, who are finally accomplishing their dreams. I think you should remember that they were once your students, but that they are now adults of whom you're proud of."

"Grandpa…" Kumiko whispered after a few seconds in silence, and she licked her lips before glancing down at Shin's form again, "What did…What did Sawada want with you? I remember hearing you laughing…"

"I apologize, but like I usually hear the young people say, that's none of your business." Ryuichiro replied, and Kumiko blinked at the expression he used, "You shall find out in due time, but until then try to calm your heart down."

"Grandpa!" Kumiko exclaimed as she blushed, but Ryuichiro simply laughed tenderly at her behaviour before standing up from the bed.

"I wish you good night, Kumiko." the Oedo Family Third Generation Boss said, now with wide smile on his face, and Kumiko forced herself to smile back at him before wishing the same.

It was only when she was alone in her room though, that Kumiko stared down at the picture frame again, this time directly at Shin. To look at that picture, and see the adults that they were now, eh? Well, that was going to be complicated…although it would probably be easier for her to understand what was going on with her if she did so…

"_We're going to return to Africa.__ We thought a lot about it, and we have taken care of everything we had to do so we have to go back so that we can return in time for the exams."_

_"We don't know how long we're going to stay there. It will probably take a month or so. We can't really miss more classes than that."_

_"W-When are you leaving?"_

_"We're actually waiting for Shin to tell us something before we decide the date. We want to try to go together, because this is our project."_

"_T-Together? Sawada, why…why didn't you tell me about this? Were you…were you thinking about leaving Japan without telling me?"_

"_Don't be an idiot. Of course I was going to tell you. I simply didn't see the point in doing it without knowing when we're going."_

"Damn you, Sawada, damn you…" Kumiko cursed as her grip on the picture frame increased slightly, and even though she did not know why, the math teacher felt her eyes burning with unshed tears, "Damn you Sawada, for never telling me anything… Damn you for making me feel like this… Damn you for leaving while I'm here, struggling to understand what's going on with me…"

**To Be Continued…**


	18. Blows Against Our Spirit

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot.

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I want to thank **cra-z-stephie**, **kami**, **lhotshot83**, **blueprincess16**, **KAT-TUN Lover** _and_ **sbcal** for everything. Honestly, you guys are awesome! Please enjoy this chapter as we finally approach the end of this story.

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**Chapter 17**

_Blows Against Our Spirit_

On the next day, although most of the school was still boiling with anticipation because there were only three days left for the graduation ceremony, truth was that there were also some who found no reason to rejoice. One of those people was Yamaguchi Kumiko, who had been quite happy for encountering teacher Kujo on her way to school and actually promise she would meet the Momo Gakuen's teacher later in the evening, but whose heart had fallen as soon as she had heard that teacher Kujo was to be transferred to Hokkaido.

Good grief, why did it seem that suddenly everyone was leaving her?

The other souls that were not influenced by the joyful atmosphere were some students from class 3-D. And that became quite obvious when they perplexedly stared at Kumiko as she started handing them the ceremony's program, and informed them that the ceremony would start at nine in the morning.

Despite of everything, and her students' usual lack of keenness, Kumiko forced herself to smile as she made her way towards the restaurant that teacher Kujo had chosen just for them. During the day, Hitomi had told her that was probably her last chance to try to start a relationship with Kujo, and Kumiko had felt determination slowly grow from the depths of her soul at that statement.

Besides, a relationship with a teacher was probably what she needed to forget the strange feeling she got whenever Shin was around…right?

"I'm sorry for calling you out," Kujo started, and Kumiko took her eyes away from her meal to glance at him, and she quickly told him there was no reason to apologize. "I thought today might be the last time to talk."

Oh dear, was he…was it possible that he was…going to ask her to marry him?

"Hum…Actually, what I want to talk about is…" Kujo stammered, and Kumiko bit her lower lip in anticipation, and Kujo turned to her, "Actually…I am being transferred to a school in Hokkaido."

"Eh?" was Kumiko's unintelligent reply, shock conquering her facial features as she continued to stare at the tall man, "Uh… Yes, I heard from Shiratori-sensei."

"Is that so?" Kujo asked, and when Kumiko nodded, he smiled widely at her, "Please come to visit during your summer break."

"Yes, of course!" Kumiko replied still with a wide smile on her face, but when Kujo turned to his meal again, she continued to watch him. That could not possibly be all that he had to tell her! "And…?" Kujo sent her a confused look, and Kumiko's smile diminished a bit, "You wanted to talk to me about something?"

There was a short pause, and Kumiko's eyes widened in shock and revelation. It could not be…

"Don't tell me…" she started, her eyes still wide as plates, "It was only about your transfer to Hokkaido?"

"Yes," Kujo answered with a short nod and a small smile, and Kumiko felt her breath get stuck on her throat at his blunt reply. Oh no, that could not be true! "I'm sorry, for calling you out just for this."

"No…not at all…" Kumiko managed to say before dropping her head, disappointment consuming her, and she mentally wondered if she was doomed to always be that unlucky when it came to men…

Perhaps, that would change if she told Kujo about her feelings?

"Kujo-sensei…" Kumiko called out without even thinking about what she was going to do, and the teacher turned his head to her, "Actually, I have something to tell you."

Slowly, Kujo turned to her, and from that moment on it was all a catastrophe. First, Kumiko stuttered a lot. Secondly, she ended up finding herself thinking about Shin of all people every time she gazed at Kujo, determined to tell him about her feelings. And thirdly her cell-phone started ringing right when she was about to say 'I have always liked you'.

And needless to say when she heard Takeda Keita say something about a fight, Kumiko did not think twice about grabbing her bag, and rush out of the restaurant. Accordingly to Keita, he and his friends were at their usual bar, so she had to run as fast as she could.

"You guys!" Kumiko shouted as she opened the door of the bar, and rushed inside only to stop her tracks at the scene in front of her. Ryu was eating by the bar, while the rest of the boys were scattered around a table, which was filled with all kind of foods.

"Hey, sit down!" Kosuke exclaimed from his seat, a wide smile on his face, but Kumiko just looked at all of them as if they were crazy. As she continued to stare at everything that was displayed in front of her, Kumiko approached her students.

"What do you mean 'sit down'?" she asked, completely bamboozled about what she was seeing "Weren't you guys in a fight? Takeda called and said that you were fighting or something."

"Huh?" Keita asked as he grabbed his juice, "I said we stopped two drunks from fighting."

"And then the drunk gave us money as thanks." Tsuchiya continued, and Kumiko turned her head to him. "We told him no, but he was being pushy."

"So, we decided to call you for advice." Ryu finished as he walked around Kumiko, and sat down on a chair.

"So…you guys weren't fighting?" Kumiko asked as she looked from Ryu to the rest of the guys, and leisurely Hayato grabbed his glass before standing up, and turn to her.

"Yankumi, let's start listening to people 'till they finish, okay?" he asked, and Kumiko watched him walking towards the bar before widening her eyes when she suddenly remembered something. She had left teacher Kujo right when she had been about to…

"…Confess…" Kumiko whispered before she could stop herself, and all of her students turned to her, and repeated the same word, making Kumiko blush in embarrassment.

It did not take long for Kumiko to leave her students, who had decided to walk together to their houses. Unfortunately, none of them had expected to face the reason why they had all been behaving rather quietly in classes. After all, accordingly to a police officer that had found them on the previous night, a very old friend of them had escaped from prison.

"I got into a lot of trouble because of you guys," Kudo, a former student from Kurogin, started as he stared at the five students from 3-D, who were now surrounded by Kudo's gang; "I thought I'd fully show my appreciation."

Thankfully, right when Kudo had been about to hit Hayato, a police officer showed up not too far from their position, and Kudo and his gang were forced to run away. However, it seemed that no matter how hard they tried to keep the fact that Kudo had escaped from prison a secret, Onijima, the police man that had talked to Hayato and his friends, ended up meeting with the staff from Kurogin Gakuen on the following day, and informed them about what was going on.

Much for Kumiko's irritation, everyone immediately had turned to her, and Onijima went even further and admitted that one of the students from 3-D could very well be Kujo's accomplice. And this time, no matter how hard Kumiko tried to defend her students, the truth was that many simply stated that 'trash would always be trash'.

After being forced to clash with the Superintendent, Kumiko stepped inside her classroom, only to notice that everyone was strangely hostile and aggressive. As she questioned her class about what had happened, Kumiko noticed that three of her students appeared to have gotten into a fight.

"Omori and the others were beaten up." someone quickly summarized when no one answered to Kumiko's question, and Omori quickly explained that the person who had done that had been a student that had been expelled on the previous year, named Kudo.

It was when the whole class started talking about Kudo, that Hayato and his friends walked inside the classroom, and quickly informed Kumiko that they had seen Kudo on the previous night.

"Come to think of it," one of the students that had been beaten up started, and everyone turned to him, "he said something strange; to say hello to Hayato and the others."

"Kudo's real target…" Kosuke started in a low tone, and Kumiko looked at him, "It's us…"

"Everyone, listen up," Kumiko began when her classroom started mumbling things about what was going on, and she glanced at her students, "Don't fight Kudo if you meet him. This goes to all of you, so promise. The graduation ceremony is in two days, you'll be graduating soon. Remember that."

* * *

"Okay, there's no point in staying here…" Kumiko mumbled to herself as she grabbed her jacket, and pulled her hair into two ponytails, and then she took a deep breath, "I have to do something to protect my students…"

Hastily, Kumiko grabbed her bag, and left her room before rushing down the hall. She still did not know what she was going to do in order to help her students, but she certainly was not going to leave them alone. That was not a normal situation, and she knew that her students could very well end up doing something foolish…especially Hayato and the others.

"Ojou!" Tetsu called out right when Kumiko was about to run past him, and she immediately stopped her tracks to turn to her, "You have a visitor. He's waiting for you in the living-room. He said it was important."

In confusion, Kumiko went to the living-room, and her eyes widened when she spotted Shin sitting close to a shōji, observing a tree that was close to his position. For a moment, Kumiko just stood still, taking in how Shin seemed much older when he was completely lost in his thoughts.

"_Oh, I understand you may regard them as people who were very important to you__, but I don't think you should forget that they are now young adults, who are finally accomplishing their dreams. I think you should remember that they were once your students, but that they are now adults of who you're proud of."_

"Stop it…" Kumiko hissed to herself as she closed her eyes, and shook her head in a desperate attempt to make her grandfather's voice fade from her mind. When her eyelids fluttered open, however, Kumiko felt warmth spreading through her cheeks when she noticed that Shin was now staring at her.

"It's considered rude to make your guests wait." Shin commented suddenly, and Kumiko snapped from her trance only to watch the young man stand up from the floor, "I came here because I need to talk to you."

"Is it…Is it about your return to Africa?" Kumiko asked a bit hesitantly, but Shin simply continued to watch her with a serene expression on his face, "Or…are you going to tell me about what you asked my grandfather some time ago?"

"Don't press that matter, you shall know what I talked to your grandfather soon enough." Shin replied, and Kumiko looked away for a second before gazing at him again, "Actually, I came here because I heard from Mariko that your class is in jeopardy."

"Eh? How did you find out about that?" Kumiko asked in surprise, and Shin gave a few steps forward though he kept a nice distance between the two of them, "They promised they wouldn't do anything foolish."

"Yabuki called Mariko, and told her to be careful because some guy named Kudo had escaped from prison." Shin started, and Kumiko could not help but wonder about what had possessed Hayato to do that. "Apparently, that boy just wanted to make sure that those who're close to him are aware of what's going on."

"You know that I won't let any harm come to your cousin." Kumiko spoke in her strong voice, and Shin nodded at that before giving two steps forward, and this time the math teacher noticed how close he was to her. "I'll protect everyone."

"I know, but I thought you'd probably be thinking about doing something stupid." Shin replied, and Kumiko blinked, "Such as going to try to find that Kudo guy, and talk to him, so…since I didn't have anything to do, I decided to come and check if my theory was right."

"Are you crazy?" Kumiko asked as she looked around; the way Shin was staring at her was making her feeling a bit uneasy, "Why would I do that? I don't even know where that guy is. I mean, sure he beat some students of mine up, but still…"

"Well, if you're not going, then I'll go by myself." Shin interrupted unexpectedly, and Kumiko immediately shut up completely taken back by what he had just said. "Regardless if something happens or not, if Mariko is in danger, it's my job to make sure that nothing happens to her."

"Hey, wait!" Kumiko exclaimed when Shin suddenly turned his back to her, and then she raised a hand in front of her chest, "Fine, I _was_ going to try to find that guy, and try to persuade him not to hurt my students, but you can't go."

"Why not?" Shin asked as he looked at his former teacher over his shoulder, and Kumiko bit her lower lip as she tried to come up with a reason. "I'm no longer a student that you have to protect all the time. That time has ended a long time ago, and I don't need you to watch my back again."

"That's not true!" Kumiko exclaimed before she could stop herself, and she walked to Shin's side, "No matter what you say…no matter how old you are, you'll always be my precious student, and I will always protect you!"

Suddenly, Shin grasped Kumiko's right wrist, and pulled the woman closer to him so that their chests were touching. For a moment, Kumiko just blinked in bewilderment, while Shin continued looking down at her with a solemn mask on his face.

"I appreciate your gesture, but I'm not your student anymore." Shin repeated in his tranquil tone, and Kumiko timidly gazed at him in the eyes, blood rushing up to her cheeks as they continued staring at one another, "Yes, I once told you that you'd always be my homeroom teacher, but that was before I saw you almost two months ago."

"E-Eh?" Kumiko stuttered, not really sure if she wanted to hear what he was going to say next. However, instead of answering her, Shin abruptly let go off her wrist, and once again turned his back to her.

Then, Kumiko's phone started ringing.

* * *

No matter how hard she tried to figure out what had happened for things to end up like that, she would always find herself staring at a mental brick wall. She could still remember Hayato calling her, to tell her that she should be careful while walking on the streets.

Now she knew how foolish she had been for not listening to him.

A small shout of pain pulled Mariko out of her thoughts, and she was forced to watch a group of guys beating Akiyama and Sakuraba up again. They would take turns, and wait ten minutes before starting to beat the 3-D students all over again. The worst of it all was that she was being held back by three guys, two of them holding her arms while the third was holding a bat.

And every time she tried to escape, the guy with the bat would smirk before hitting her, usually on the stomach.

"If you want us to return them, tell Hayato and the others to come." Mariko had heard the leader, who she believed to be Kudo, telling the 3-D students that he had freed a while ago, but not before he had used them as punching-bags.

"Ryu…" Mariko whispered to herself as she watched Kudo's gang still beating Akiyama and Sakuraba up. She ended up looking away, however, when the sound of a bone cracking reached her ears close followed by a cry of pain.

"Aw, how precious, the damsel in distress waiting for her prince charming to come and save her…" Kudo spoke suddenly as he walked towards Mariko, whose head was still down. She was forced to look at the young man, though, when he suddenly grasped her chin, and raised it. "Ryu, you said? That guy was never a fighter; he was always trying to keep others away from fights… He won't come."

"Please, stop!" Mariko begged as she heard Akiyama let out a small cry of pain, and she started fighting back tears, "Please…stop hurting them…"

"If you were a guy," Kudo started, acting as if he had not heard a word, and Mariko winced when he increased his grip on her chin, "you'd be there with them, getting the beating of your life! So, stop complaining, and watch the show!"

Suddenly, various footsteps echoed through the whole warehouse, and Kudo let go off Mariko's chin when a mixture of voices called out for those that were being held as hostages. Mariko knew that the first thing the 3-D students would see were Akiyama and Sakuraba lying on the ground, surrounded by guys. They would probably not even see her, since she was being held in one of the darkest sides of the warehouse, close to a destroyed car.

After smirking at Mariko, Kudo turned around, and walked past his gang, revealing himself to the newcomers, hands stuffed inside of his jacket's pants. He quickly walked past Akiyama and Sakuraba, who were lying on the floor, his eyes locked with Hayato's.

"Welcome, my cute kohai."

After those words, Kudo's gang started walking forward, while Hayato and his friends went to meet them halfway while requesting for Kudo to return their classmates. Something that Kudo agreed to do after he was finished with them.

From where she stood, Mariko could see that Hayato did not want to hear any threats, but she looked away when Hayato stepped forward only to be kicked by Kudo. Ryu's voice, calling out for his friend's name quickly reached her ears, and she glanced at him only to see Ryu now turning to Kudo.

"We have no intention of fighting you."

"Oh?" Kudo asked as he stared at Ryu right in the eye, and he punched the younger boy on the face after saying, "How interesting!"

"We promised Yankumi…" Mariko saw Kosuke walking towards Kudo, who immediately pushed the young boy backwards with a hand, "We won't fight recklessly anymore."

"Oh, that teacher," Kudo pointed out before grabbing Kosuke's collar, their eyes locked, "I see… You guys are good little students obeying the teachers."

Helplessly, Mariko watched Kudo punching both Keita and Tsuchiya, when they tried to reason with him. She wanted to be able to do something, but instead she was forced to watch Kudo asking the 3-D students why only they were allowed to graduate when he had been expelled.

"Is your promise with the teacher that important?" Kudo asked as the five students from Kurogin turned to face him, all side-by-side, and Hayato nodded before whispering a 'yeah'.

"We believe in Yankumi." Kosuke stated when Kudo exclaimed that teachers were never to be trusted, and Keita immediately spoke up as well.

"Yankumi will never betray us."

"What a beautiful sentiment…" Kudo commented suddenly, though it was obvious that he did not mean it, "Don't make me laugh."

"There's no way you'd understand." Ryu declared as he moved closer to Kudo, who stared at the five students with an emotionless expression on his face before nodding in agreement.

"Fine by me." he replied, "Protect your promise with your teacher all you want. I'll do what I want."

Suddenly Kudo turned his back to the five students, and the rest of the gang took it as permission to step forward. With widened eyes, Mariko watched as Ryu and the others simply stood still, not even gazing at each others. They were all determined…they were all ready to protect their promise…

When the first punch hit Hayato on the chin, Mariko turned her head to the side, unable to watch the tragedy that was occurring in front of her. She felt like she should know why they were being so serious about the promise they had done to Kumiko, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not remember why.

"Watch the show…" Kudo commanded suddenly, and Mariko felt him grab her chin again before forcing her to look forward. Tears immediately started blurring her vision as she was forced to watch her friends being beaten up, pain erupting from her chest for not being allowed to do anything to help them.

Heavens, why had they come?

"_We promised you."_

_"We're going to graduate…" _

"…_Together with everyone…"  
_

"_You guys are… You guys are…You guys are students I can be proud of."_

All of a sudden shouts and footsteps started echoing through the whole warehouse, and Mariko glanced at the doorway. One tear rolled down her cheek as she watched the rest of class 3-D storming inside only to stop when they heard Hayato groaning that they were not supposed to be there.

"We couldn't just leave you guys!"

"We can't abandon you!"

And then there was chaos.

At the sight of the newcomers, Kudo's gang forgot all about Hayato and the others, and immediately dashed towards the rest of the class that had just arrived. Despite of the commotion, Hayato, Ryu, Keita, Kosuke and Tsuchiya's shouts for everyone to stop could be heard although their words were ignored since everyone else was too focused in fighting to actually think about their actions.

Suddenly, the guys that had been holding her arms let her go, and Mariko watched them run towards the commotion. Beside her was Kudo, also watching how Hayato and his friends were trying their best to bring an end to that pandemonium.

"Kudo…"

At that voice, Mariko looked to her side and her breathe got stuck on her throat when she saw Ryu walking towards them. Just like the rest of his friends, he was already carrying marks on his face from all that fighting…

"Stop it already…" Ryu continued, holding his left arm, and Mariko had to prevent herself from screaming when Kudo suddenly punched Ryu on the face. Without thinking about what she was doing, Mariko went to his side.

"Mariko…" Ryu groaned as the girl helped him to get up from the floor, but Mariko said nothing in return when their eyes meet. Gently, Ryu pushed her behind him, and turned to Kudo only to be punched again, Mariko covering her mouth in order to stop a scream from leaving her throat.

They simply did not understand how everything had ended up like that…

As he continued lying on the floor, Hayato watched Ryu dragging himself towards Kudo before holding the older man's ankles. He also saw Mariko watching not too far from them, looking too shocked to move. With a small groan, Hayato forced his arms to move forward as he tried to approach Ryu.

"Kudo, please…" Ryu moaned as he raised his head to look at Kudo in the eye, "Stop this now…"

In reply, Kudo planted his foot on Ryu's back, and requested for a member of his gang to hand him a pipe made of metal. When he noticed what Kudo was about to do, Hayato widened his eyes in horror before noticing that Mariko seemed to have understood what was about to happen.

"You make me mad…" Kudo confessed as he continued pressing his foot against Ryu's back, "What teacher? What graduation?"

"Ryu…" Hayato called-out rather weakly as he watched Kudo raising the pipe above his head "Stop…"

Out of nowhere two members of Kudo's gang grabbed Hayato's shoulders while one of them also grabbed the boy's hair, and forced Hayato to watch what was going to happen next. Kudo, noticing that he had an audience, smiled before increasing his grip on the pipe.

"_Stop!"_ Hayato shouted on top of his lungs when Kubo raised the pipe even higher above his head, and two things happened at same time. Ryu was unexpectedly covered by another person while a voice that was familiar to all 3-D students echoed through the whole warehouse.

"Don't touch them any further!"

**To Be Continued…**


	19. This bond

**Disclaimer: **_Gokusen _belongs to **Morimoto Kozueko**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my own characters and the plot.

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**I sincerely thank everyone who has read this story.** Your support, help, and ideas were what kept this story going, and I know I would have not continued to post it if it had not been for you. I truly hope you enjoyed this ride, and that this last chapter will not disappoint you. Yes, you have read it correctly; this is the _**last**_ chapter. I hope you like it, although it was sad for me to write 'fim' at the end of the chapter.

It was a pleasure to post this story here, and it was gratifying to know that you have (kind of) liked the twists and (evil) cliffhangers that you were forced to deal with as this story progressed. And that is why I want to say **thank you**; thank you for reading this, for supporting this idea, but most of all, for always being there.

Muito Obrigada! (Thank You Very Much!)

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**Chapter 18**

"_That time, that place, it will never disappear – this bond"_

Quietly, Mariko walked out of the bathroom, holding the first-aid kit. The walk towards her apartment had been physically quiet, and emotionally painful. Even though Kumiko had ended up saving her students, and declared that they were all students she was proud of, some of them still felt guilty about how everything had turned out.

And Odagiri Ryu was no different…

Wordlessly, Mariko walked to the sofa, and sat down beside Ryu before resting the first-aid kit on the floor, next to her feet. The boy was obviously too exhausted, and too lost in his thoughts to speak, so Mariko decided to start cleaning his wounds without saying a word.

For a long time, Mariko simply worked on Ryu's wounds, occasionally thinking about how Hayato and the others could be. It was true that they were used to get into fights all the time, but the confrontation against Kudo had been everything except normal.

All she hoped was that they were alright…

"'When you guys use this'," Mariko gazed at Ryu's face, and noticed that he was staring at his closed fist, "'you do it because you want to hit two things; the skin and the smugness'." hesitantly Mariko looked away from the boy's fist, and stared at his eyes as she rested her hands on her lap, "I think that now I can tell you that you're wrong."

Instead of replying, Mariko took another small piece of cotton from inside the first-aid kit, and started looking for some band-aids as well. She was forced to stop her movements, however, when a hand suddenly grasped her wrist. Hesitantly, Mariko turned her head to look at Ryu, and felt her heart skip a beat at the expression on his face.

"Now, I can say that even fists can hurt the heart and the spirit."

As she continued staring at Ryu's eyes, Mariko wondered about what she was supposed to say. She guessed that if he had stated that in front of Kumiko or even Shin they would know what to say, but she had absolutely no idea of what was proper to pronounce or not.

"Why…" Ryu started, and Mariko felt her heartbeat increase slightly when she noticed that he was still holding her wrist, "Why did you protect me right when Kudo was about to hit me?"

"A-ah _that_!" Mariko exclaimed suddenly, but when Ryu nodded, she looked away. "I…err…well; it's not as if I could…let him do that, ne? I mean…all of you went to the warehouse to help your friends, and… I just…didn't have time to come up with something else?"

"Eh?"

"I mean…" Mariko quickly continued now looking down, blood rushing up to her cheeks as she felt Ryu's gaze on her, "I just…couldn't let Kudo do something to you when you tried so hard to save us, and…it's not as if I could suddenly become a karate-maniac, and kick his ass…right?"

Silence was the only thing that answered her question, and Mariko closed her eyes before mentally slapping herself. She had not only rambled, but she had also said the most stupid things ever! Oh dear, was the floor going to open up, and swallow her whole?

Then, out of the blue, a light sound forced Mariko to stop trying to strangle herself with her mind, and she stared at the boy beside her. He was still holding her wrist, but his left hand was resting on his side as he continued laughing.

"Now wouldn't that be a sight?" Ryu asked suddenly, and Mariko blinked when he looked back at her with a wide smile on his face, and she felt her heart start beating painfully against her rib cage, warmth spreading upwards, towards her cheeks. "You kicking Kudo's ass…"

"Hey, don't laugh at me!" Mariko exclaimed indignantly, but Ryu simply shook his head as he rested his elbow on his leg, and stared at her again. "I was simply…answering your question. If you hadn't asked, I wouldn't have said that."

"Well, thank you," Ryu spoke suddenly, and Mariko let out a 'eh?' in surprise, "What you did was completely and undeniable unnecessary, but still…thank you."

"What do you mean, 'completely and undeniable unnecessary'?" Mariko repeated as she stared at the boy as if he was insane, "Would you prefer if I had just stood on the same spot, and watched Kudo doing something horrifying to you?"

"Well, we both know that wouldn't have happened, because Yankumi showed up right on time." Ryu replied, and for a moment Mariko just stared at him before standing up, and consequently forcing Ryu to let go off her wrist.

"How can you say that?" Mariko asked as she turned to face Ryu, who was watching her with his usual emotionless mask, and she quickly closed her hands into tight fists. "You were the one who told me to believe in myself. You told me 'surround yourself with your friends. If you're with your friends, you'll protect and be protected at same time'."

"You still remember that?" Ryu asked still sitting on the sofa, and Mariko crossed her arms against her chest.

"You remembered something I told you ages ago!" she pointed out, but Ryu simply smirked at her. "I didn't do anything special compared to what you guys did to save your friends, but…to tell me that what I did was unnecessary? Do you…do you even know how scared I was?"

"Mariko…"

"Do you know…" the girl proceeded as she closed her eyes tightly, but when she opened them again Ryu blinked at the sight of unshed tears, "Do you know…how much it hurt to watch you being beat up like that?"

"Don't do that." Ryu instructed suddenly before standing up, and Mariko bit her lower lip at his tone. "Don't cry. There's no reason for you to do that; everyone is alright now."

"But…if Yankumi-san hadn't showed up…" Mariko finally let out a sob, and Ryu looked away for a moment, not knowing what he should do to make her stop crying. "If Yankumi-san and Shin hadn't showed up, you could be—"

Mariko was forced to shut up when Ryu suddenly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to a strong hug. Her tears, instead of fading away, started rolling down her cheeks harder and faster as she rested her fists against Ryu's chest, her face pressed against the side of his neck.

She simply did not bear to think about what could have happened, if Kumiko and Shin had not managed to find the warehouse in time.

* * *

The day that followed the fight between 3-D students and Kudo's gang had brought little reasons for celebrations, even though the day had come clear and warm. While the rest of the school was excited about the graduation ceremony that was practically around the corner, Yamaguchi Kumiko had been forced to make a decision.

She could either allow her class to be expelled, or she could take all of the responsibility and quit.

Needless to say, Kumiko did not need to think twice before she informed the Superintendent that she was going to take full responsibility about what had happened. She also presented her resignation on the same day, even though her students had tried to stop her from doing such thing.

For Kumiko her resignation meant nothing but the possibility for all of her students to graduate, and accomplish her dream.

_**Fugitive arrested after fight with Kurogin High students.**_

"They promised me…" Kumiko whispered as she stared at the newspaper in front of her, her right knee pressed against her chest, "That they would fulfil my dream…That all of them…would graduate together…"

"This looks familiar…" Shin spoke suddenly, and Kumiko blinked at his observation, "Three years ago you also started taking all the blame, and became all depressed… I even remember you telling me that you were not going to allow my class to be expelled."

"Fate sure is ironic, ne?" Kumiko questioned with a bitter smile on her face, but Shin simply grabbed his cup of tea before raising it to his lips, "But it's true…I should have prepared them better, and I should have told them that sometimes fighting isn't the answer…"

"There you go again," Shin interjected, and Kumiko stared at him, "Always taking the blame… Always sacrificing yourself for the sake of everybody else… I take it that your students weren't happy when they heard that they would be able to graduate as long as you quit."

"Another thing that is quite ironic…" Kumiko mumbled before taking a long sip of her own drink, "But my grandfather always told me 'no regrets', and I don't regret my decision. How could I when my students promised to graduate together?"

"I never said you should regret what you did." Shin calmly retorted, and Kumiko looked down, "After all, after everything we went through three years ago, I now understand that everything you do, no matter how irresponsible it may be, is always for the sake of your students."

At those words, Kumiko gazed at Shin, and noticed that he was smirking at her. However, before she could think of something to say, the young man sitting across from her continued his speech.

"You always seem so confident when fighting, but I think you should still use that same confidence outside the combat zone." elegantly, Shin reached out for his cup again, "And I guess now it's my turn to say that I'm proud to know you."

Suddenly, Kumiko found herself recalling how her grandfather had told her that he was proud of her. And the same warmth of gratitude washed over her as she looked at Shin, and noticed that he was staring at her as if he was observing something that he cherished deeply.

And for the first time ever since they had meet, Kumiko absolutely loved to be gazed that way.

"Yankumi," Shin called unexpectedly, and Kumiko blinked at her nickname only to notice that Shin was now staring at his half-empty cup, "I have something very important to tell you about my return to Africa."

"Have you decided when you're going?" Kumiko asked, and she started feeling anxious when Shin nodded, "So…when are you and the others leaving?"

A pregnant silence suddenly conquered the whole living-room as Shin simply continued staring at Kumiko, who managed to hold the eye-contact. As they continued looking at each other, Kumiko could not help but feel that she was not going to like the answer.

"Tomorrow," Shin finally replied before taking a long sip of his tea, and Kumiko felt her breath get stuck on her throat. Tomorrow? But that…that was too sudden! "Uchiyama, Noda and I will be leaving tomorrow, two hours after the graduation ceremony."

"What?" Kumiko finally breathed out, "But…but that's so soon! What about Mariko-chan? Does she know about this? Didn't she ask for you to stay for a while longer?"

"Yankumi," Shin cut off, and Kumiko closed her lips at his strong yet gentle tone, "What do you say about coming to Africa with me?"

"_EH?!"_

* * *

On the following day, after spending a whole night trying to come up with something that could appease what had happened to Kumiko, all students from 3-D ended up inside the staff room, facing the teachers and the Superintendent.

"We have a request," Hayato started as he stared at the Superintendent, the rest of the teachers wondering about what the whole class could be doing in there, and Ryu continued when his friend trailed off.

"Please, revoke Yankumi's resignation."

"We're the ones responsible." Hayato proceeded as he gave one step forward, "So…you can expel us."

"If you don't revoke Yankumi's resignation," Kosuke carried on when some of the teachers started pleading for them to leave because the graduation ceremony was about to start, "we won't attend the ceremony."

At those words, some of the teachers started trying to make them change their minds. For most of them, what was really important was the way the school would look in the eyes of all the guests if one of the classes did not attend to the ceremony.

"Please, don't fire Yankumi!" Keita requested as he walked towards the Superintendent, and the rest of his friends started echoing his words in strong and high voices at the point that the Superintendent could not keep quiet anymore.

"What's so great about such an unaccomplished teacher?"

"She's not unaccomplished!" Hayato shouted, and Ryu backed him up, also in a strong voice.

"She was the first teacher who accepted us as we are."

"So, you won't attend the ceremony no matter what?" the Superintendent asked as he looked from Ryu to the rest of the class, who nodded in reply. Hayato took the opportunity to add that they would wait for the Superintendent's reply in their classroom before they walked away.

After informing the staff that they were going to start the ceremony without the presence of 3-D, the Superintendent told everyone that it was time to leave. Sawatari, who had stayed behind, pondering about what he had just witnessed, turned his back to the door of the room, and gazed at his phone.

Despite of everything, there was only one thing he could do…

Meanwhile, Kumiko was in the living-room, by herself, thinking about her students and Shin. Her thoughts were completely unbalanced like the sea when facing a storm; one minute she would be asking herself about how the graduation ceremony was going, and on the next she was thinking about Shin's question.

However, all that disappeared from her mind when her cell-phone started ringing. On the other side of the line, Head Teacher Sawatari informed her about what her students were doing, and added that all of them were ready to be expelled as long as her resignation was revoked.

"Kumiko," Ryuichiro emerged from another room, along with Tetsu and the others, and the only word he said afterwards was enough to give Kumiko the courage she needed to stand up, "Go."

Thankfully it did not take took long for Kumiko to reach the Kurogin Gakuen. The only thing Kumiko had not been expecting as she opened the door of her classroom, though, was to hear her students explaining why there was no point in going to the graduation ceremony.

"There's no point in going to a graduation ceremony without you…"

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have come to school."

"Me too. I would've been expelled a long time ago."

"I might have become a criminal's accomplice."

"I probably would've stayed a coward."

"It's because of you that we've come so far."

"So, we want you…to see us graduate. We worked so hard just for that."

"We're the ones who caused the problem." Ryu started from the back of the class, but Kumiko simply continued staring at all of her students, completely taken back by their words. "Isn't it our duty to take responsibility?"

"Don't talk as if you understand!" Kumiko finally snapped, knowing that she had to be angry in order to make them realise that what they were doing was not correct. "Did you guys attend school all by yourself? Didn't your parents pay for it by working hard? Are you guys going to put it to waste?"

There was a short silence, and Kumiko struggled not to allow the tears that had began to blur her eyes to fall.

"Do you know how your parents supported your high school life?" slowly, she started walking around her silent students, "Listen. Graduation has a bigger meaning in life than you think. That's why we have graduation ceremonies. The graduation ceremony may be boring for you. But it's a ceremony to thank your parents for what they've done for you. It's a ceremony in which your parents can be proud of their work of raising you. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Hayato whispered before looking away, "But…"

"Yankumi," Ryu called out in a calm tone, and Kumiko turned to him, "You went so far as to be fired for us."

"You still don't understand!" Kumiko shouted as she stared at Ryu with determined eyes, "Your graduation is worth me getting fired! To think that it's okay for me to be fired for you guys, there's no greater happiness than this! That's why…" Kumiko continued looking at all of her students, "I want you guys…to graduate feeling proud of yourselves."

There was a short moment of silence until Hayato slammed his hands against the top of his desk, and stood up. Then, he gazed around at the rest of his classmates before taking a deep breath.

"Let's go."

"Feeling proud of ourselves…" Ryu continued as he also got up to his feet, his right hand resting on his chest, "Let's get out diplomas together."

Suddenly, before Kumiko knew what was going on, every single student got up from their chairs, and started arranging themselves before dressing their uniforms properly. Then, the march towards the gym, where the graduation ceremony was taking place, began.

"Please, wait!" Kumiko shouted as she opened the doors of the gym, her students following her closely, and everyone inside the gym turned around to look at the source of the sudden commotion. Then, Kumiko's eyes meet the Superintendent's, and she took a deep breath.

"I apologize." Kumiko started, without looking away, "Please let the students attend."

* * *

"Aw man, I hate it when people make me cry." Kumiko complained as she wiped a tear as soon as it started rolling down her cheek, and all of her students chuckled at her whine.

"Ah, you're the one who should be ashamed of yourself." Tsuchiya started as he looked down at his teacher, "After all, your speech moved us! Us! The supposedly bad boys of Kurogin Gakuen!"

"Well, so that you know that you are all a bunch of softies!" Kumiko replied with a teary smile, and everyone laughed again at her antics.

"Yankumi-san!" a voice shouted suddenly, and everyone looked behind them only to see Mariko rushing towards them. Kumiko felt her heart skip a beat when she noticed that following Mariko, in a much slower pace, was Shin himself, "Guys!"

"Ah! Mariko-chan!" Keita greeted as he waved a hand in the air, a wide smile on his face. "Did you get your diploma as well?"

"Yes!" Mariko answered excitedly as she raised her diploma to her chest, and she happily noticed that they were all holding one as well. "And you did too! I'm so happy for you!"

"Oi, who's the cutie?" one of the 3-D students asked, but Hayato immediately glared at him before turning to Ryu, and nudge him on the side while hissing something incomprehensible under his breath.

"C'mon guys, lets say our goodbyes!" Kosuke suddenly shouted, and everyone nodded before turning to Kumiko, who looked back at them with a wide smile.

One by one, all of her students started biding farewell, until only Hayato, Ryu, Tsuchiya, Keita and Kosuke were left. Then, a bittersweet silence pulled all of them into a tight hug before being blown away by the wind.

"Yankumi," Tsuchiya called out before smiling at his teacher, "Thanks for everything."

"Thanks." Kosuke repeated, and Keita took the opportunity to continue, a smile also gracing his features.

"We'll count on you even after this."

"We're really glad we met you..." Hayato added, and Ryu took a deep breath before finishing the sentence.

"You're our teacher we can be proud of." a short pause and Ryu proceeded, "Now and forever."

"You guys…" Kumiko whispered, and her five students suddenly raised their diplomas before shouting 'Cheers!'. Then, after biding farewell, all of them turned around, and started running away, leaving Kumiko behind, waving a hand in the air.

When Kumiko was already out of sight, Ryu run towards where Mariko was, standing underneath a willow. When she spotted him, a wide smile graced her features, and Ryu returned the smile as soon as he reached her side.

"So, shall we go to the movies?" he asked, and Mariko nodded.

On the meantime, Kumiko was still waving a hand in the air, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was seriously going to miss all those troublemakers. Unhurriedly, Kumiko dropped her hand, and started breathing deeply in an attempt to stop her tears from rolling down her cheeks.

"Oi," a voice called-out suddenly, and Kumiko turned to her side only to start wiping her tears with the back of her hand when she noticed that it was Shin. For a moment, the young man simply stared at the directions the 3-D students had used to walk away. "What's your answer?"

"Seriously Sawada, even if I wanted to go, I don't have time to pack and neither do I have time to buy a ticket." Kumiko replied as she took another deep breath, but she blinked in shock when Shin suddenly turned his head to her, and surprised her with a wide smile.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." he replied, and two voices suddenly called for Kumiko's name. In confusion, the math teacher looked behind her, and gasped when she spotted Noda and Uchiyama not too far from her with a very familiar travelling-bag lying close to their feet.

Abruptly, Kumiko turned to Shin, and her mouth dropped when she noticed that he was holding two tickets in his hand.

"You wanted to know what I asked your grandfather the other night," Shin started, and the woman stared at him, "Well, I guess it's time for me to ask you the same question." a small pause, and Kumiko felt her heart hammering against her rib cage when their eyes meet, "Kumiko, do you want to come to Africa with me?"

**FIM**

30/05/08

* * *

Once again, thank you for accompanying me on this short trip, and I truly hope you enjoyed this last chapter. However, like I promised, I already have started writing the sequel for this story. The title is _**Follow our Memories**_, it will be rated T, and the main pairing will be, of course, _ShinxKumiko_, and the plot starts four years after this story. It will have spoilers from _Gokusen III_, by the way.

Ah, the first chapter will be posted on **01/06/08**, so keep a sharp eye! _Fight-oh!!_


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